Ensure refund of excess power duty to rural consumers: UPERC

LUCKNOW: Taking a serious view of discoms not returning the excess electricity duty charged illegally from unmetered rural domestic consumers in the last five years, the UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) on Tuesday asked the state government to ensure refund within 15 days failing which it would take action against the discoms.

“Before passing an order against the licencee (discoms), the commission requests you to please take necessary steps so as

UMAR IS ALSO THE CHAIRMAN OF UP POWER CORPORATION LTD (UPPCL) AND ITS DISCOMS.

to ensure the refund of excess electricity duty to the concerning consumers. The commission will wait for 15 days before passing an order in this matter,” UPERC chairman SK Agrawal has said in his letter sent to principal secretary, energy, Alok Kumar.

Kumar is also the chairman of UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) and its discoms.

The commission’s move came as a follow up to UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad president Awadhesh Kumar Verma’s complaint dated December 12 in which he said the discoms had been charging electricity duty from the unmetered rural domestic consumers at the rate of 20% instead of 5% notified by the state government.

“On this issue, the commission is satisfied that electricity duty charged at the rate of 20% is in violation of the government notification of September 13, 2012 and therefore discoms are liable to refund the excess amount charged from consumers,” Agarwal said.

He also said the electricity duty recovered from consumers was adjusted in the subsidy that the government gave to discoms every year. “Thus in the present case, the discoms can deduct the refund amount from the electricity duty collected during the current year and shortfall in the electricity duty can be deducted in cash subsidy from the state government,” he said.