BENGALURU: Much against the usual demand of electricity supply corporations (Escoms) to hike the power tariff, the state government is contemplating on proposing to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) to reduce the power tariff by 70 paise to Rs 2.10 per unit, across the state. Understandably, the proposal is being made ahead of the assembly elections which are a few months away and also comes in the backdrop of the recently held Global Investors Meet and Bengaluru Tech Summit which laid stress on the generation of green energy.
Energy Minister V Sunil Kumar told The New Indian Express that the proposal was being sent to the KERC. He said this was being done as the power tariff in Karnataka is higher when compared to other states. He added that the proposal also includes revision of various slabs under which consumers are charged. The idea is to reduce the existing six to seven slabs to three to ensure a smooth billing process.
An official from the energy department said the proposal is not a part of the user fee and fuel cost adjustment charges, but to reduce the tariff for the next financial year, the billing cycle of which starts in April. “Instead of a reduction in charges, we would like to term it as rationalisation of charges. Since the usage of green energy has increased, we are keen on reducing tariff,” the official said.
The department is also proposing to reduce the user fee revisions. It has also recommended concessions to rural electricity users. A discount of 25 paise on the user fee has been contemplated for customers under gram panchayats. For low-tension consumers of up to 50 units, who are now charged Rs 4.15 and Rs 4.05 per unit, it has proposed a reduction in the fee to Rs 3.6 per unit. For consumption of 50 to 200 units, it has been decided to reduce two slabs to one, with an average of Rs 5.4. There is a discussion on charging the average user per unit. It has recommended a reduction of current rates of Rs 8.20 and Rs 7.70 to Rs 7 for users of 200 units and beyond.