Panchkula residents demand rollback of sharp hike in electricity charges

A wave of discontent has gripped Panchkula following a steep increase in electricity charges reflected in the May 2025 bills issued by Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN). Residents, particularly from the middle class, have expressed alarm over the new tariff structure and fixed charges.

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On Tuesday, two delegations – one from Hitaishi Foundation and another from the Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA), Sector 20 – met UHBVN Managing Director Ashok Kumar Meena (IAS) to convey the growing public anger and demand urgent corrective measures.

Hitaishi Foundation chairman Bharat Hitaishi stated that the abrupt increase in both unit rates and fixed charges had caused deep concern among common households. Citing his personal bill, he revealed that the amount surged from Rs 922 last month to Rs 4,430 this month – nearly four times higher. He criticised the replacement of the previous slab-based system with a flat rate of Rs 6.50 per unit for those consuming above 5kW, terming it “unjust and financially crushing for middle-class families.”

Suraj Prakash Vij, media advisor of the foundation, added that new fixed charges of Rs 75 per kW place an undue burden on consumers. A 10kW connection, for example, now incurs an additional Rs 750 monthly charge.

KK Jindal, president, and Avinash Malik, general secretary, of the RWA Sector 20, also strongly criticised the new policy. They highlighted the replacement of “minimum charges” with “fixed charges” and raised objections to the implementation of a cross-subsidy model among consumers. They pointed out that UHBVN’s move to introduce cross-subsidisation was necessitated because the Government of Haryana had not released the subsidy amount to the Nigam.

During their meeting with the MD, the RWA representatives requested an extension of the bill payment deadline by a month, citing that many consumers had not yet received physical copies of their bills. In response, Ashok Meena assured them that he would examine the request and attempt to extend the due date. However, he also clarified that the new tariff structure could only be reviewed after a year.

The office-bearers of the RWA conveyed their intent to escalate the matter to the Power Ministry to seek intervention and resolution of the concerns.

Foundation members including SK Sharma, BM Kaushik, BK Gupta, NC Swami, RK Sharma, Dr S Kumar, Tarseem Garg, Subhash Sharma, Prem Lal Gupta, Ravish Gautam, Dhruv Vishisht, Mohit Bansal, Achhar Singh, Satish Goyal and Arun Bansal reiterated their demand for an immediate rollback of the revised electricity charges, citing the disproportionate impact on law-abiding and timely-paying urban consumers.