BENGALURU: The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) and electricity consumer groups on Wednesday raised objections to a petition filed by Bescom before KERC on levying additional surcharge on open access consumers.
These consumers purchase electricity directly from the grid or from private power producers and not from government Escoms. They consume a minimum of one megawatt a day. There are around 2,000 such high tension consumers in and around Bengaluru.
FKCCI president Uma Reddy said Bescom’s shifting claim from Rs 1.65 to Rs 0.58 per unit lacks transparency and it is arbitrary.
FKCCI said, “The surcharge can only be levied if voltage-wise stranded capacity is proven, as required under national Tariff Policy and Appellate Tribunal rulings. Since Bescom has not provided such evidence or data, FKCCI urges KERC to reject the petition and safeguard consumer rights, ensuring that open access to affordable power is not restricted.”
Power experts said these are charges imposed by Escoms on consumers as a fee for the expense they incur while purchasing power from various sources, but it is not utilised by consumers. The charges, however, have to be levied through a proper regulation.
In December last, the high court directed KERC to frame regulations for levying additional cross subsidy surcharge for open access consumers within six months. But KERC is yet to issue a draft in this regard, seeking public opinion.
“Without regulations, Bescom has been charging 55 paise to Rs 2 per unit as additional surcharge. We are now demanding that before issuing any revision and orders, Escoms should make public their audit report, justifying the additional cost they are incurring and show receipts,” the experts said.