Electricity will now cost more in Chattisgarh, the state that aims at becoming power-surplus in next few years.
The Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission has announced the revised power tariff for different categories of consumers. The tariff has been increased in the range of seven to 22 per cent.
Electricity tariff for domestic consumers has been increased by 22 per cent while industrial consumers will now have to pay 12 per cent more in electricity bill, Manoj Dey, chairman of the commission said. The new tariff came into affect on 1 April.
The hike in the electricity tariff has come as a shock primarily for domestic consumers. Instead of earlier Rs 1.82 per unit, domestic consumers will now have to pay Rs 2.22 per unit of power consumed. Even the people living below poverty line (BPL) will have to pay electricity bill if they consume more than 30 units per month.
Barring steel industry, the new power tariff has not come as a big burden for industrial consumers. The tariff for the steel industry has been increased from Rs 3.21 per unit to Rs 3.78 per unit, an increase of about 18 per cent. Heavy industries in the state will pay 11 per cent more.
Power tariff for coal and cement industries have been increased from Rs 4.71 per unit to Rs 5.05 per unit, an increase of about seven per cent.
The revised power tariff for fiscal 2011-12 has been widely criticized by different bodies in the state.
On one hand, chief minister Raman Singh claims that the state is going to be power surplus soon, on the other hand, the government has burdened the common man, Ramesh Varlyani, state Congress committee spokesperson told Business Standard.
Instead of cutting the cost of production and miscellaneous expenses of state-owned power companies, the government is burdening common man to bear the cost, Varlyani said.
President of Chhattisgarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry Srichand Sunderani said the increase of 22 per cent in the tariff of domestic consumer is impractical.
Chhattisgarh, which will have an installed power capacity of 3494 Mw by the end of 2012, is a zero-power cut state now.
The state has also signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with more than 70 private power producers (PPPs).
