Cough up more for power now

Average 30 paise hike per unit for domestic consumers approved

Electricity users will have to cough up more for power as the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Tuesday effected an average hike of 30 paise per unit for domestic consumers.

No increase has, however, been effected on fixed charges. The revised tariff varies for different Escoms. The average hike for Bescom is 30.75 paise per unit, while for Cesc (Mysore) it is 28.53 paise. For Mescom (Mangalore) the hike is 26.63 paise, Hescom (Hubli) 28.64 paise and for Gescom (Gulbarga) the increase is 29.48 paise. At the same time, the commission has approved a hike of 0.43 paise per unit for the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL).

Uniform increase

The Escoms had sought a uniform increase of 75 paise per unit and the KPTCL had sought a hike of 6 paise per unit.  KERC Chairman M R Srinivas Murthy said only a part of the increased average cost of supply has been passed on to consumers to minimise the effect of tariff increase.

Tariffs have also been segregated to impose the least increase on rural consumers, he added.

The commission also directed power utilities to seek its permission if they are purchasing power on a short-term basis for more than Rs 4 per unit. The commission  suggested that the government  consider entering into long-term agreements to purchase power to minimise costs of purchase. The earlier price fixed by the KERC was Rs 6, but it was brought down further, hoping to curb the runaway expenses incurred by the government in the last two years.

The government had purchased power on a short-term basis for as high as Rs 12 per unit to meet the severe shortage of energy.

Supply schedules

The KERC also instructed the Escoms to announce their supply schedules in advance every week to consumers and industrial users with effect from January 1, 2011, to enable the consumers to plan their activities.

To conform with the National Electricity Policy, the Escoms were also directed to ensure electricity connection in every household.

As of now, there are an estimated 12 lakh households in the State without electricity. The Escoms were told to prepare a detailed action plan and provide electricity to all households within  three years.

The Escoms were also instructed to provide electricity between 6 pm and 6 am in all  rural areas with the provision for one hour of load-shedding, if necessary, to manage the load.