Centre sidesteps Chandigarh power bill rise query; Manish Tewari calls reply evasive

The Centre on Thursday did not provide a category-wise comparison of electricity bills before and after privatisation of power distribution in Chandigarh, despite a specific question from Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari on whether average consumer bills had increased following the handover.

In an unstarred question in the Lok Sabha, Tewari had sought details of average monthly bills of residential, commercial and industrial consumers before and after privatisation, besides data on smart-meter installation, any post-privatisation impact assessment and complaints relating to billing discrepancies and inflated charges.

In its reply, the Ministry of Power said tariffs for Chandigarh are determined by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) and that, following privatisation, JERC had approved revised category-wise tariffs for 2025-26 to 2029-30, effective from November 1, 2025.

The reply, however, did not provide the requested pre- and post-privatisation average monthly bill figures or state whether consumer bills had increased.

On smart meters, the ministry, citing Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL), said 3,300 additional smart meters had been installed after privatisation, taking the total number of smart meters to 27,100. Of these, 2,037 were in the “other consumer” category, 204 among industrial consumers, 80 DT meters, and 625 for HT consumers, besides 354 feeder meters.

The ministry also said 9,257 billing-related complaints were registered during 2025-26 and resolved through the applicable grievance-redressal mechanism. Consumers dissatisfied with the utility's response can approach the Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum and subsequently the Electricity Ombudsman.

Reacting to the reply, Tewari said the detailed nature of his question contrasted with what he described as an evasive response from the government. He said Chandigarh residents were aware that smart meters were optional and not compulsory, which, he claimed, explained why only 2,037 smart meters had been installed post-privatisation.

“The answer on the whole is disappointing,” Tewari said, adding that he believed the response reflected what he termed the “dumbing down” of Parliament by the executive since 2014.

The reply also does not set out details of any formal post-privatisation study or impact assessment comparing tariffs, billing accuracy and operational efficiency, which were specifically sought in Tewari's question.