ERC BRIDGES RURAL‑UR‑ BAN DIVIDE
Power regulator brings tariff in cities and villages almost at par
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) appears to have bridged the urban-rural divide in the state at one stroke.
Its announcement of an unprecedented tariff hike for the metered and unmetered rural domestic consumers on Thursday brings electricity rates charged from the thatched dwellers in villages almost at par with ones applicable to the rich bungalow owners in cities.
The new tariff announced for the year 2017-18 has an increase of 67%-150% for the rural domestic consumers fixing the maximum slab as high as ₹5.50 per unit, a rate that is currently applicable to high power users in metros like Lucknow.
After the revised tariff comes into effect from the next week or so, the metered rural residential consumers will have to pay at the rate of ₹3 per unit up to consumption of 100 units against ₹2.20 per unit at present, apart from monthly fixed charges of ₹80 per kw which were till now ₹50 per kw.
The new rate for urban consumers is ₹4.90 per unit on 0-150 units with the commission giving them benefit of 50 additional units.
Their monthly fixed charges are ₹100 per month, only ₹20 more than those of the rural consumers.
The commission has also introduced different tariff slabs in villages like ones in cities for the first time.
Thus a metered rural domestic consumer will have to pay at the rate ₹3 per unit from 0-100 units, ₹3.50 per unit on consuming 101-150 a month, ₹4.50 per unit on consumption of 151-300 units, ₹5 per unit on usage of 301500 units and ₹5.50 per unit above 500 units.
One does not find any different slabs in cities where people have greater paying capacities. The maximum rate in cities after revision is ₹6.50 per unit on consumption of above 500 units.
“Not only are electricity services very pathetic in villages but they are also far behind the cities in all the indicators of socio-economic progress,” UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad president Awadhesh Kumar Verma said adding, “Hence, the power tariffs in villages and the cities cannot be at par.”
He alleged the UPERC had acted under the pressure of the UPPCL, which wanted to increase its revenue by increasing tariff instead of curbing power theft and recovering dues.
UPPCL chairman Alok Kumar said the rural tariff was too low for it being viable.
“It is seen that presently we are recovering only 45% of the power production cost from villages unlike many other states like MP, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab which realize up to 86%, 100% , 53% and 80% of the cost of the power supplied to the rural consumers,” he claimed.
It is seen that presently we are recovering only 45% of the power production cost from villages unlike many other states like MP, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab ALOK KUMAR, PCL chairman