State Bureau, Jagran, Lucknow. Consumers will have to pay 10 percent more bill in February for the electricity consumed in January. In lieu of fuel surcharge, power companies will collect an additional Rs 616.05 crore from electricity consumers along with the January bill.
However, the Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Consumer Council has raised questions over the Power Corporation's order to charge a record 10 percent fuel surcharge and has demanded an independent and high-level inquiry into the expensive power purchase. In this regard, the Council has filed a proposal of public importance in the Electricity Regulatory Commission and has also demanded an immediate ban on charging 10 percent fuel surcharge.
Under the Multi Year Tariff Regulation-2025 of the Regulatory Commission, in January last year, electricity companies have been getting the right to automatically decide the Fuel and Power Purchase Adjustment Surcharge (Fuel Surcharge Fee) every month. Electricity is continuously becoming cheaper in the state.
While electricity expenditure had reduced by 2.33 per cent in January due to fuel surcharge, consumers will have to pay a record 10 per cent higher bill in February. According to the relevant order of the Power Corporation, the actual rate of purchase of 8849.03 million units of electricity in November last year was Rs 5.79 per unit, whereas in the tariff approved by the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission, this rate was only Rs 4.94 per unit.
On the basis of this difference in the rate of power purchase, an order has been issued in February to recover additional Rs 616.05 crore from consumers by imposing 10 percent fuel surcharge. The thing to note is that this is the highest increase in any one month since January last year. Earlier in December there was an increase of 5.56 percent.
Consumer Council President Awadhesh Verma says that in a month of normal demand like November, purchasing expensive electricity at the rate of Rs 5.79 per unit is completely suspicious. Expressing apprehension of serious irregularities in power purchase figures, Verma said that in May last year, when there was severe heat, power crisis and record demand, the Power Corporation had purchased power at the rate of Rs 4.76 per unit only.
Describing the entire matter as serious, suspicious and against consumer interests, the Council Chairman said that additional recovery from consumers should be stopped until the entire matter is investigated by the Commission. If irregularities are found at any level, accountability of the responsible officers should be fixed.
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