PUDUCHERRY: The Puducherry Electricity Department (PED) has proposed to enhance power tariff as part of the introduction of the multi-year tariff system from 2015-2016 to 2017-2018. The tariff has been proposed to be increased for all categories of consumers for all the three years.
This is despite the fact that in the current year (2014-2015), PED earned a surplus revenue of `9.45 crore from the existing tariff, according to the petition filed before the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission for the Union Territories and Goa. While its aggregate revenue requirement is `1133.27 crore, the revenue from tariff, excluding surcharge, has been `1133.27 crore this year.
However, PED has sought approval to the proposed enhanced tariff in order to recover almost the entire gap of `694.17 crore during the period from 2013-2014 to 2017-2018. Along with a carrying cost of `19.02 crore in 2013-2014 and 2014-2015, the total revenue gap has been projected at `713.20 crore. Through the enhanced tariff, PED has proposed to get an additional revenue of `714.88 crore.
The PED has proposed an increase of 7 per cent energy charges for 2015-2016, 10 per cent hike in energy charges in 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. Further, it would also separately seek approval of JERC for levying additional surcharge on case-to-case basis.
Meanwhile, the PED has also planned to take up infrastructural workers in order to strengthen the distribution system. New meters and billing equipments, plant and machinery, lines and cables as well as office buildings, equipment, vehicles would be added during the period.