LIVE TV
India
Recommended Stories
Bhubaneswar: Energy secretary Rajesh Verma on Monday emphatically refuted media reports that the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) may hike power tariff this year.
“Filing of review petition on tariff with OERC or Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) by power distribution companies (discoms) is a routine matter. Through their appeal, the companies have reiterated their stand on the previous decision on tariff before the Commission. Since the Commission has already announced the tariff order for this year, the government’s stand on the tariff will be the same and there is no possibility of tariff hike in near future,” Verma stated.
The official further said that the consumers need not panic on the matter.
Media reports suggested that the Commission may increase power tariff following the recent appeal by the discoms.
In March, OERC had announced that there will be no hike in electricity tariff for any category of consumers in the State for the 2016-17 fiscal. Both retail supply tariff and meter rent for all categories of consumers remain unchanged for 2016-17, the Commission had said.
The Commission further said that there will be no change in the transmission charges of 25 paise per unit that prevailed in 2015-16 either.
Refusing to accept the 30.4% distribution loss claimed by the discoms’, the Commission had allowed only 21.34 per cent as distribution loss on normative basis. The Commission had emphasised the need for energy audit in the coming year and has allocated a sum of about Rs.100 crore for the purpose.
