The Supreme Court today allowed Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) to charge utilities for overdrawing power in excess of their entitlements.A bench comprising Justice Tarun Chatterjee and Justice P K Balasubramayam, while allowing CERC's application, vacated the interim order of the Allahabad High Court, which had restrained the power regulator from overcharging.The apex court also directed the high court to dispose off the matter expeditiously.The Supreme Court had, on June 25, reserved its verdict on a petition filed by CERC challenging the Allahabad High Court's order staying its notification for increasing the charges of unscheduled interchange (UI), popularly known as overdrawal units, from Rs 5.70 to Rs 7.45 per unit.Uttar Pradesh Power Corp (UPPC) and some other state utilities had challenged the notification before the Allahabad High Court on the ground that it was passed in the absence of the quorum of at least two full-time members.CERC counsel U U Lalit had said the notification was issued as a deterrent against drawing utilities, such as UPPC, from overdrawing electricity beyond their respective entitlements which otherwise would lead to collapse of the northern grid and other regional grid systems in the country.
