The power tariff for all categories of consumers has been raised once again in the current fiscal 2014-2015 as per the order passed by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC).
For recovery of the past revenue gap, an additional surcharge of 10 per cent is to be levied on all consumers on the fixed as well as energy charges (excluding taxes ) at the approved tariff rates.
However, agriculture and ‘one hut one bulb’ (OHOB) category consumers are excluded from the surcharge. Additionally, Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment (FPPCA) has also been levied.
The enhancement of tariff is to meet the cumulative revenue gap at `136.42 crore out of a total revenue gap of `291.34 crore (revenue gap for existing years being `32.53 crore and past year pending gap of `258.81 crore).
The approved tariff will be effective from April 1, 2014 and shall remain valid till the issuance of the next tariff order. In the domestic category, the fixed charges have gone up by `10 for consumption up to 200 units resulting in charges going up from `20 to `30, while in the category 201 units to over 300 units it has remained unchanged at `30.
However the average tariff per unit consumption has gone up from `1.00 to `1.05 for consumption up to 100 units, from `1.50 to `1.60 for consumption from 101 units to 200 units, from `2.80 to `3.10 for consumption from 201 units to 300 units and `3.50 to `3.85 for consumption over 300 units.
The fixed charges for Commercial consumers have also gone up from `60 to `70. However, there is an increase in energy consumption charge which has gone from `3.50 to `3.85 for consumption up to 100 units, from `4.50 per unit to `4.55 per unit for consumers from 101 units to 250 units and above this has remain unchanged.
For cottage industry, poultry farms, horticulture and Pisiculture, the fixed charges have gone up to `30, irrespective of the consumption. While the energy consumption charges have increased in a similar way to domestic consumers. The fixed charges for public lighting has remained same, but the energy consumption charges have gone up from `4.20 to `4.40 per unit.
For LT consumers, the fixed charges have been increased to `80, irrespective of the consumption range. The energy consumption up to 1,000 units has been raised from `4.30 per unit to `4.50 per unit. Above 1,000 units, the consumption has remained the same.
For HT(1)(a) and (b) category the fixed charges has remained same, but the energy consumption charges have gone up to `4.70. For HT (II), the energy consumption charges have gone up from `4.60 per unit to `4.80 per unit.
For HT (III), the fixed charges have gone up from `200 per KVA per month to `240 per KVA per month, while the energy consumption charges have gone up from `4.50 per unit to `4.70 per unit. For all other categories, the tariffs have remained the same as the previous year.