Power tariff hike put off in Karnataka

With Karnataka heading for the May 5 Assembly polls, the state power regulator on Thursday withheld its tariff order proposing sharp hike citing enforcement of model code of conduct for the elections.

"We have decided not to issue our tariff order after we received a letter from the Election Commission of India asking us to abide by the model code of conduct," Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) Chairman M R Srinivas Murthy told reporters here. Asked whether the CEC has mentioned any date for KERC to issue its tariff order, Murthy said the letter did not mention about it.

The five electricity supply companies - Escoms - which distribute electricity - had filed separate tariff petitions before KERC on December 10 last year seeking hike for all consumer categories, a KERC official said. The state has already witnessed four tariff hikes in the last three and a half years, starting from November 2009.

The last revision was effected in April 30, 2012 when the tariff was hiked by an average 13 paise a unit. The KERC granted a hike of 27.35 paise a unit in October 2011, 23 paise a unit in December 2010 and 34.16 paise a unit in November 2009.