JOIN USAnother shock for the common man and this time its a real one for sure, because the electricity tariff in the NDMC area has been hiked yet again. For once, even the residents of VIP areas, who have been till date enjoying lower power tariffs, will have to shell out more.
The NDMC has proposed a 20 per cent hike across consumer categories to meet their projected revenue gap – the most common reason given ahead of any hike. Despite the hike in these localities, these residents will, still be paying lower tariff than the rest of the City. Areas beyond Lutyen’s bungalow zone like Golf Links, Sunder Nagar, Lodhi Colony, Khan Market, Chanakya Puri and upto Sarojini Nagar on the one side and Bengali Market, Gole Market on the other, will fall under the ambit of the increase.
But why did the NDMC suddenly feel the need for a hike? A spokesperson for the body shares that it had been a long time since the tariff had been revised, hence the need. The NDMC has submitted to Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) that there is a net gap of Rs 180.60 per unit and the proposed hike is expected to meet the projected gap in the revenue.
Atul Goel, convenor of URJA, a body which has over 2,500 RWAs registered under it, shares with Metrolife: “This happened because of the public pressure and nothing else.
All these bodies involved are just profit-making ones. The NDMC is already a profit-making body. We wanted other bodies to reduce tariff in the other areas. Instead, they hiked the tariff in their area. So, we are now trying to educate the public about the loopholes in the system. We want an independent audit so that everything becomes clear and transparent. These bodies are fudging facts and fooling the public.”
A resident of Sundar Nagar, Nishca Arora, too feels that the increase is unwarranted. “The government has taken its citizens for granted. Inflation, petrol hike and now this. The problem is that there is no one who can question these people and we are the ones who are always on the receiving end.”
Ragini Kamra, a resident of Lodhi Colony, too expresses her concern. “Every day you wake up to find something or the other in the papers. Every day there is a new proposal or another price rise. And, we are left with no choice except to pay the bills.” Whether they are justified or not, is a story that no one in power is willing to address.