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Uttar Pradesh power consumers are in for a 'shock', with the power tariffs raised over 30 per cent from this month.
Only industrial consumers have been exempted from this steep increase.
Already reeling under a severe power crisis during the current heat wave, the domestic and rural consumers will have their power bills inflated from now.
The fixed charge on power consumption load has also been increased by Rs 10 (from Rs 65 per kilowatt (Kw) to Rs 75 per Kw) for domestic consumers. The tariff has been raised from Rs 3.45 a unit to Rs 4 a unit for the first 200 units of consumption.
Between 201 and 500 units, the tariff has been raised from Rs 3.80 to Rs 4.50. Beyond that, the tariff has been raised to Rs 5 per unit.
The state power utility UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) had been urging the UP Power Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) for approving tariff hike proposal to reduce revenue loss figures.
The last time, the state domestic power consumers had witnessed tariff hike was around 10 per cent during 2008-09.
For rural unmetered consumers, the power tariff has been hiked from Rs 125 per month to Rs 180 per month.
For metered rural consumers, the fixed charge has been increased from Rs 15 per Kw to Rs 50 per Kw, while the energy charge has been hiked from Rs one per unit to Rs 2.20 per unit.
UPPCL is deep into debt and has been laying the blame on lower revenue realisation, power thefts and line losses.
While, the hike in tariff would result in higher revenues, UPPCL is yet to take firm steps to deal with massive power pilferage.
Meanwhile, Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad president Avdhesh Kumar Verma told Business Standard he would challenge the hike at appropriate forums and mobilise all the political parties, except the ruling Samajwadi Party, which he said was "anti-people."
