Now, farmers with metered tube wells to pay fixed charges only

LUCKNOW: Now, all Uttar Pradesh farmers using an electricity connection for their private tube well in rural areas will be charged only the fixed monthly tariff as applicable to unmetered tube well consumers regardless of the number of consumed units recorded by their energy meter.

People dealing with the issue said that the state government had taken a policy decision in this regard and also communicated the same to the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) for necessary action.

The move, they said, would benefit around 12 lakh farmers using metered electricity connections to power their tube wells for irrigation purpose.

A letter sent to the UPPCL managing director by special secretary, energy Bhawani Singh Khangaraut on May 12 says that the government, after due consideration, had decided that the billing of metered private tube wells (LMV-5) in rural areas would be done at the rate applicable to unmetered tube wells.

As per the UPERC’s current tariff order, the tariff for the unmetered tube well connections is fixed at Rs 170 per BHP, per connection, per month while those with the metered connections have to pay Rs 2 per unit, in addition to Rs 70 per BHP as fixed monthly charges.

The government’s decision has come at a time when the UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) is regularly pushing for metered supply asking UPPCL to install meters on all premises, including private tube wells in keeping with the provisions of the Electricity Act, 2003 that does not allow unmetered supply to any category of consumers.

The same letter further says that meters will be installed at unmetered tube wells as per the UPERC’s directions. “But the use of meters will be done for the purpose of energy accounting of power consumed and not for the purpose of raising bills,” it clarifies, adding “The cost of energy consumed will be assessed separately factoring into the energy accounting of the consumed units.”

The government has told the UPPCL that the difference arrived at between the cost discovered after energy accounting and the amount raised in the bills for consumers will be made available to it (government) so that a correct assessment can be made of the subsidy being given to farmers for cheaper electricity.

Welcoming the government’s decision, UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad president Avadhesh Kumar Verma said, “The government decision will give a lot of relief to farmers and save them from unnecessary harassment that is often caused after they often get inflated bills due to poor functioning of meters.”

Agriculture sector is the third largest user of electricity, consuming 15% of the total power sold by the UPPCL. The two top sectors, domestic and industrial, consume 46% and 17% power respectively. The UPPCL gets more than Rs 2200 crore revenue annually from around 12 lakh private tube wells in the state.