Govt nod to new DERC chief

The Delhi government has approved the appointment of justice (retired) Shabihul Hasnain as the new chairman of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), paving the way for the annual revision of power tariffs in the national capital.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced the appointment of the new DERC chief on Twitter on Saturday. “Delhi government approves the appointment

NEW DELHI:

of Justice Shabihul Hasnain (Retd) as the new Chairman of Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). Providing cheap and uninterrupted power supply is one of the key priority areas for the Delhi government. My best wishes to him for a successful stint,” Kejriwal tweeted.

Hasnain succeeded justice (retired) SS Chuahan who completed his tenure on July 4. Now, the three-member commission has two people - the chairman and member AK Ambasht.

A senior government official said the annual revised power tariffs are likely to be issued soon. “With the appointment of the new DERC chief, we can expect the tariff order anytime now. The new chairperson will review it once. The tariff order is, otherwise, ready and there is unlikely to be any hike in electricity charges this time again,” said the official on condition of anonymity.

The annual revision of electricity tariffs in Delhi has been delayed by nearly three months. On April 1 this year, the Centre wrote to all state power regulators to issue tariff orders before April every year.