LUCKNOW/NOIDA: The UP PowerCorporation Limited (UPPCL) has recommended a 20% increase in power tariff across slabs and also suggested a hike in the fixed charge from Rs 90 per KW to Rs 110.
If implemented, this will lead to a steep increase in power bills — a monthly bill of, say, Rs 3,000 will rise to around Rs 4,000. In the tariff proposal submitted to UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC), UPPCL has recommended the highest increase of 26% in the lowest slab of 0-150 units, raising it from Rs 4.90 per unit to Rs 6.20.
The tariff for the 151-300 units slab is proposed to be hiked from Rs 5.40 to Rs 6.50 per unit. Similarly, urban households consuming 301 to 500 units per month will have to shell out Rs 7 per unit instead of Rs 6.20, and those with consumption higher than 500 units will have to pay Rs 7.50 per unit.
Sources in UPERC said there will be a public hearing and, as per procedure, a public notice will be issued inviting objections from people. Principal secretary (energy) Alok Kumar said the hike was proposed in view of the rise in input cost of power. “There has been an increase in the cost of coal and fuel. The cost of maintaining transmission and generation infrastructure has also gone up,” he told TOI.
The last power tariff hike of around 12% was implemented in 2017, six months after BJP stormed to power in UP with an overwhelming majority. There was no tariff hike in 2018.
Not surprisingly, the proposed hike has raised hackles of consumers. UP Rajya Upbhogta Parishad president A K Verma said that proposed hike was extremely high. “The power corporation has been putting the burden on consumers to hide its own inefficiency,” he said.
In NCR, where people already pay steep electricity bills because of the high cost of power backup, residents said an exception should be made for Noida since it is a “profit centre”. Residents’ body representatives pointed out there was 100% recovery of electricity bills from Noida and hardly any line losses as compared to other cities.
“The department recovers 100% electricity charges in Noida and the line losses are hardly 5-7% as compared to over 30% in many other cities of UP. Noida is a profit-making centre and an increase in charges will be completely unjustified,” said A N Dhawan, secretary general of FONRWA, the umbrella body of RWAs in the city. He also said FONRWA had already written to the UPERC to declare Noida a profit centre and reduce tariff.
“The power department is already unable to provide the required amount of electricity in Noida, while there is full recovery and good revenue from here. If there are losses from other cities, the charges should be increased there,” said Rajesh Sahay, secretary general of Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Associations (NOFAA).