On top of the skyrocketing food and vegetable costs in the pandemic times, the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) is seeking to hike power bills by Rs 1.58 per unit in 2022.
In its proposal to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), Bescom has cited mounting losses to seek the hike in the monthly power tariff.
Sources in the Energy Department confirmed to DH that Bescom and other Escoms in the state have filed a petition for the hike in 2022.
The KERC is expected to hold hearings in various parts of the state based on the petition and pronounce the final tariff order by April or May. Last year, Bescom sought a hike of Rs 1.35 per unit, while KERC approved only 30 paise.
Senior Bescom officials explained that the petition was made after considering its total expenditure and load projection for the new year.
"Many industries were closed during the lockdown, considerably reducing our income. In addition, most IT companies have continued with the work-from-home culture. All of these will impact our previous balances as we continue to purchase power from generators," a senior official revealed.
Bescom engineers said they refrained from collecting the arrears during the lockdown. "Considering that many citizens were working from home, we did not even disconnect the power despite the pending monthly bills to the tune of several crores. In many cases, we collected the bills much later and this delay has also severely impacted us," an engineer pointed out.
The officials said Rs 1.58 was only an average calculation, and the actual numbers could be different for residential and commercial establishments.
"The KERC will deliberate on our proposal and hold a public hearing in the coming days. Based on the objections raised by the public and our performance, a final revision in tariff be ordered," the engineer revealed.
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