Chandigarh, December 5
The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) has announced a hike in the power tariff in the state, ranging from 13 paise to 40 paise per unit, for various categories of users, except the agriculture sector.
The hike which has been levied as a fuel surcharge adjustment (FSA) will come into force with retrospective effect from December 1, 2006, and will stay in force for a period of 36 months.
The order raising the tariff was been signed by the three-member HERC comprising of its Chairman, Mr Bhaskar Chatterjee, and the two members, Mr T.R Dhaka and Mr T.S Tewatia, late today evening.
Domestic consumers will have to pay an additional 13 paise for the first 40 units and 30 paise for 41 to 300 units. Beyond 300 units, domestic consumers will be charged an additional 40 paise per unit.
There will be no additional burden on the farm sector, for which the state government has offered to subsidise Rs 715.43 crore over a span of 36 months.
The non-domestic consumers, including institutions, will have to shell out an additional 39 paise per unit of power consumed, while light industry will have to pay an additional 40 paise per unit.
The HERC in its order has observed that the FSA claim filed by power distribution companies pertains to the recovery of FSA for the past four years. It has, therefore, staggered the recovery over a period of 36 months from December 1, 2006. The order allows the recovery of Rs 1976.07 crore from various sections of consumers.
The HERC has advised the power distribution companies to bring down their transmission and distribution losses and also to bring in more efficiency in the collection of their dues. “It goes without saying that they should install meters at every consumer’s inter-face so as to properly
quantify the supply of power and recovery of dues thereof”.
Chairman of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN), Lt-Gen O.S Lohchab, told The Tribune: “The HERC has passed the order and the people will have to pay accordingly”.
The HERC is a three-member body, designated to function as an autonomous authority responsible for regulation of the power sector in the state. It has been functioning in the state since August 1998 and all notifications of the HERC are binding on the state.
The Commission has observed: “The Commission has been extremely careful about the poorer sections of society whose paying capacity is limited and consequently has passed the least possible burden on them. Since the domestic consumer of the highest category with monthly consumption of 300 units and above will be getting the advantage of subsidised rates for the first 1-40 and from 41 to 300 units, the proposed increase would not come as a shock to them”.
