<p>With Karnataka heading for the May 5 Assembly polls, the state power regulator today withheld its tariff order proposing sharp hike citing enforcement of model code of conduct for the elections.<br /><br />"We have decided not to issue our tariff order after we received a letter from the Election Commission of India asking us to abide by the model code of conduct," Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) Chairman M R Srinivas Murthy told reporters here.<br /><br />Asked whether the CEC has mentioned any date for KERC to issue its tariff order, Murthy said the letter did not mention about it.<br /><br />The five electricity supply companies --escoms-- which distribute electricity-- had filed separate tariff petitions before KERC on December 10 last year seeking hike for all consumer categories, a KERC official said.</p>.<p><br />The state has already witnessed four tariff hikes in the last three and a half years, starting from November 2009. The last revision was effected in April 30, 2012 when the tariff was hiked by an average 13 paise a unit.<br /><br />The KERC granted a hike of 27.35 paise a unit in October 2011, 23 paise a unit in December 2010 and 34.16 paise a unit in November 2009. </p>
<p>With Karnataka heading for the May 5 Assembly polls, the state power regulator today withheld its tariff order proposing sharp hike citing enforcement of model code of conduct for the elections.<br /><br />"We have decided not to issue our tariff order after we received a letter from the Election Commission of India asking us to abide by the model code of conduct," Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) Chairman M R Srinivas Murthy told reporters here.<br /><br />Asked whether the CEC has mentioned any date for KERC to issue its tariff order, Murthy said the letter did not mention about it.<br /><br />The five electricity supply companies --escoms-- which distribute electricity-- had filed separate tariff petitions before KERC on December 10 last year seeking hike for all consumer categories, a KERC official said.</p>.<p><br />The state has already witnessed four tariff hikes in the last three and a half years, starting from November 2009. The last revision was effected in April 30, 2012 when the tariff was hiked by an average 13 paise a unit.<br /><br />The KERC granted a hike of 27.35 paise a unit in October 2011, 23 paise a unit in December 2010 and 34.16 paise a unit in November 2009. </p>