Power play? BJP counters Cong tariff hike jibe with data from Hooda govt’s tenure

Amidst the BJP-led government and the Congress trading jibes over the hike in power tariffs, the Haryana Government has claimed that, despite the hike, consumers are paying significantly less than the bills they paid during the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led government’s regime in 2014-15.With Congress leader Sampat Singh, a former Finance Minister, approaching the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) regarding the hike, the government has made public the data on power tariffs levied during the Hooda government’s regime. The hike took effect on April 1, and consumers have now started receiving bills based on the new tariffs.What is the Congress’ charge? Former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda has alleged that families who had to pay Rs 900-1,000 are now being given bills of Rs 4,000-5,000. He added that, on one hand, people were suffering due to prolonged power cuts amid the intense summer, and, on the other, people had been suffering from inflation since the BJP came to power. He said a fixed charge of Rs 75 per kilowatt had now been decided upon. Therefore, an additional Rs 750 had to be paid every month for a 10-kilowatt connection, he claimed. Earlier, rates were calculated slab-wise, meaning that, for 50 units or more, the cost per unit ranged from Rs 2.50-6.30. Now, for more than 5 kilowatts of load, Rs 6.50-Rs 7.50 per unit was being charged, he added.What is the Haryana Government’s response? The Haryana Government has said this was the first tariff hike since 2017-18, introduced after a seven-year gap, despite a consistent rise in power procurement costs and operational expenses. For Category-I domestic consumers (with a connected load of up to 2 kW and monthly consumption of up to 100 units), monthly bills had reduced, ranging from 49-75 per cent, compared to 2014-15, it added, stating that, compared to 2024-25 rates without minimum monthly charges (MMC), the increase in bills was below 10 per cent.For Category-II consumers (with a connected load of up to 5 kW), the increase in bills over 2024-25 ranged between 3-9 per cent. In comparison to 2014-15, a majority of consumers in this category were experiencing a reduction in their bills (43-3 per cent), with only a few slabs seeing increases of less than 1 per cent, it added.Around 94 per cent total domestic consumers fall under Categories I and II.For Category-III consumers, the increase compared to 2024-25 ranges from 5 per cent to 7 per cent. It is pertinent to note that, for lower consumption levels within this category, the percentage increase may seem higher. Category-III accounted for only about 6 per cent of domestic consumers, the government said.The government said, “Recently, some misleading claims have suggested that electricity bills have increased up to four times. These claims are entirely incorrect. Electricity bills should be evaluated against the same month of the previous year, as this accounts for similar consumption patterns. The tariff increase has been minimal and moderate.”According to the government, the tariff revision from 2024-25 to 2025-26 reflects a moderate increase of 7 per cent to 10 per cent for high tension (HT) consumers, based on load and consumption. In the low tension (LT) category, the growth is relatively mild, ranging from 4 per cent to 7 per cent across various consumer segments.Will agricultural consumers be affected? Agricultural consumers will continue to pay just 10 paisa per unit (metered) and Rs 15 per BHP (unmetered) per month, with the state government subsidising the rest. The MMC for metered connections has been reduced to Rs 180 (up to 15 BHP)and Rs 144 (above 15 BHP).What is the government’s claim on fixed charges?According to the government, fixed charges for the domestic category in Haryana have been maintained at moderate levels, ranging from zero to Rs 75/kW. In contrast, neighbouring states levy fixed charges as high as Rs 110/kW and energy charges up to Rs 8/kWh.What were the HERC’s directives in its power hike order dated March 28? The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission had noted that, during 2023-24, Haryana DISCOMs had purchased 7,740 MUs of short-term power at an average rate of Rs 6.79 per unit, aggregating to Rs 5,257.54 crore. At the same time, short-term power was sold in the power exchange at a throwaway price. The commission had observed that the power purchase cost constitutes around 85 per cent of the ARR of Distribution Companies (DISCOMs).“Therefore, the power procurement plans ought to be rigorously monitored so that the cost of delivered power can be reduced,” it added.“There is a need for restructuring and strengthening of Haryana Power Purchase Centre (HPPC) by deploying adequate staff so that it can work round the clock,” the commission said.The commission noted that, in 2023-24, urban feeders with losses exceeding 25 per cent and rural feeders with losses exceeding 50 per cent were 16 and 302, respectively, for both DISCOMs. The commission had directed DISCOMs to reduce AT&C losses of all urban feeders to below 20 per cent, and those of rural feeders to below 40 per cent by 2025-26.

Power play? BJP counters Cong tariff hike jibe with data from Hooda govt’s tenure

Tribune News Service

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