Electricity tariffs may see a hike soon

Bhubaneswar: Power tariffs may see an increment soon if the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) decides for another revision while hearing a petition to hike electricity charges on August 16.

The development came after some electricity supplying companies including GRIDCO appealed the OERC to give an increment to the energy charges.

A notification issued by the OERC stated the details of tariffs and related revisions implemented last time on March 23. So all the parties, including the GRIDCO will keep their statements on the issue when the OERC sits for hearing on March 16. The commission will rule on whether any hearing would be entertained on the plea or reject it.

Within few months of the hike, the supply companies have once again appealed to increase the rates by Rs 2 per unit, which is unbearable and unaffordable, Orissa Electrical Consumers' Association, Ramesh Chandra Satpathy said.

The move to hike the tarrifs is a move intentionallly made by the state government but we will not let additional charges act as financial burden on around 67 lakh consumers.

The electricity supply agencies are private companies and they have freedom to raise demands. The OERC alaso may hear on such an issue. But so far the governmkent does not have any inform,ation on hiking tarrifs.

Earlier on March, the OERC had increased the rates by an average 1.44 per cent. The tariff for the first 50 units of consumption by domestic consumers was kept unchanged, while for subsequent  units the rates were increased by 10 paisa per unit for all retail consumers. The hike was implemented for 2017-18 financial from  April 1.