The Haryana State Regulatory Commission has hiked the fuel surcharge by 37 paise resulting in a hike of electricity rates in the state.
The new rates will be applicable from the April 1.
With the latest sales circular of the discom, now the rate of electricity for domestic consumers will be a minimum of Rs 1.14/unit which earlier used to be Re 0.77/unit till consumption of 40 units.
For the consumers having consumption of more than 800 units this rate would be Rs 1.64.
For non domestic consumers the minimum rate has been raised to Rs 1.56/unit for the consumers having load of 5 KW which used to be Rs 1.19 earlier.
Now the rate for consumers above 50KW would be Rs 1.58 per unit which used to be Rs 1.21 earlier.
For consumers on HT industrial line, the minimum rate would now be Rs.1.61 as against the earlier rate of Rs 1.24.
Meanwhile, the industrialists hit out at the state government.
"This is totally against the proposal the industry has been requesting to the government. While the cost of fuel is reducing worldwide with reduction in rates of petrol and diesel, the Haryana Regulatory Authority is increasing the fuel surcharge on the pretext of increase in the working cost.
"This is actually the inefficiency on the part of government to check the theft of power which leads to increased cost of production and distribution," said Col Shailendra Kapoor, Executive Director Faridabad Industries Association (FIA).
Fuel surcharge is charged from the consumers towards the cost of use of the electrical infrastructure used for distribution of electricity.
