Dikshit not in favour of increasing power tariff

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today said she was not in favour of increasing electricity charges at the moment. Her comments came a day after she issued directives to the city's power regulator DERC to keep the power tariffs at the existing level.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday said she was not in favour of increasing electricity charges at the moment.

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Her comments came a day after she issued directives to the city's power regulator DERC to keep the power tariffs at the existing level.

"We will hold the meeting with the discoms as well DERC soon to review the situation. But I feel that the power tariff should not be increased at the moment," Dikshit told reporters at a function here.

Dikshit's statement has put at rest speculation that a power hike was in the offing following demands from the three power discoms who had pointed that their revenue gaps have accumulated beyond sustainable levels and they were running in losses.

Dikshit too had recently said that Delhiites were rich enough to shell out money to pay more power tariff.

However, sources point that discoms' audit shows that they have been making healthy profits. Dikshit's direction to the DERC not to increase power tariff also hinges on the assumption that the discoms were making profits by selling power to the other states.

DERC will submit its response to the government soon after taking into account the discoms own audit reports.

On the power situation in the city, Dikshit said there was no shortage of electricity as such.

"Infrastructure is being upgraded. Shortage have been felt sometimes only when there is sharp increase in the demand and some problem in the Northern grid. We have also faced problems due to the overdrawing of power from the neighbouring stage," she said.

The problems are being sorted out, the Chief Minister added.