Power tariff: Govt’s no to revised rates

Replying to the Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) memorandum for tariff reduction on Monday, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit indicated that her government was in no mood to withdraw its order barring the power regulator to announce a revised tariff.

Replying to the Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) memorandum for tariff reduction on Monday, Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit indicated that her government was in no mood to withdraw its order barring the power regulator to announce a revised tariff.

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Tussle between the Delhi government and power regulator Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) began on May 4 when the government, exercising a special power, asked the regulator not to announce the new annual tariff.

The private distcoms had complained that their demand for increasing rates has not been considered while finalising the new tariff structure.

Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium had said last month that the government ban was against the law and demanded that the power regulator be allowed to announce the tariff.

BJP state chief Vijender Gupta on Monday met Dikshit and submitted a memorandum demanding that this fiscal’s revised power tariff, which is expected to make electricity cheaper by up to 20 per cent, be issued immediately.

On Wednesday, the government accused the regulator of creating bottlenecks in ensuring uninterrupted power supply in the capital by not looking into the grievances of private distcoms.

Justifying its stand on the issue, the government said compared to other cities, the tariff in Delhi is “reasonable” and DERC needs to take into account uncontrollables like inflation, taxes and cess before finalising a new tariff order for the year 2010-11.

BJP said it will soon launch a series of protests across the city to press for a cut in tariff.