Guwahati, Jun 7 (IANS): Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asked officials to adopt the Gujarat technological solutions in metering, billing, collection of electricity bills and to recover the unpaid power bills of government officials directly from their salaries.

A senior Assam Power Department official on Monday said that the Chief Minister has asked the officials and engineers to adopt technological solutions in metering, billing, collection etc like Gujarat to turn the companies into profit making entities.

On Sunday, Sarma while reviewing the functioning of the Power Department and its three companies -- Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Limited (AEGCL) and Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd -- directed the department to prepare a plan for turning the companies into profit making entities.

He stressed on the need to make all the three companies profit making ventures within the next five years similar to the power companies in Gujarat.

"The CM also instructed to recover the unpaid power bills of government officials directly from their salaries through the Drawing and Disbursing Officer. He also said that from now onwards the transfer and posting of APDCL officials must be done based on their performance," the official said.

The Chief Minister directed to create a proper database with the names and phone numbers of 63 lakh consumers in Assam to set up an improved billing system to cut down losses.

He instructed APDCL to issue a notification to authorise all police stations to register power theft cases, as only a few police stations in the state currently possess the authority for the same.

Power Minister Bimal Bora, Chairman of all three power companies V.K. Pipersenia, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Samir Kumar Sinha among others were present in the meeting.