'Fuel surcharge unfair, people may resort to agitation'

Terming the recent hike in fuel surcharge as "an unfair burden" on Delhiites, Consumer Online Foundation, which works in field of power, today said that DERC's step was highly "demoralising" and may even set off wide spread agitation among the people.
"The hike is an unfair burden on the Delhi's citizens. This step is highly demoralising and may even set off wide spread agitation among the Delhites," foundation's board member S Krishnan said.
According to Krishnan, DERC were separately considering the revision of electricity tariff to be charged by discoms on the basis of ARR Petitions for FY 2013-14 to 2015-16.

Krishnan also said that comments on these petitions were called for from stakeholders which were to be heard at a Public hearing. The fuel surcharge has been announced pending determination of tariff by DERC after public hearing, he claimed.
"Sometime back the Delhi Assembly had requested the Chairman DERC to appear before them, but the Chairman had taken shelter behind his Statutory status for not appearing before the Assembly and had instead asked the Delhi Government to go on appeal before the Appellate Tribunal if they had any objection to the tariff as determined by DERC," he added.
Krishnan said that there has been strong feeling among the people as well as the Delhi Government that the electricity tariff was going up steeply, resulting in government announcing subsidies for the low income group at heavy cost to the exchequer.

Last week, Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC had approved a 4 to 6 per cent increase in power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC), or the fuel surcharge, as it restored a levy charged to compensate the discoms for rise in cost of buying electricity on account of increase in coal and gas prices.