21 lakh people will be hit if Torrent’s plan to raise energy charges gets GERC approval.
You may soon have to pay up to 25% more for the electricity you use. Torrent Power Ltd, which produces and distributes electricity to 21 lakh customers in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Surat, has proposed a hike of up to 25% in charges for electricity supplied to residential premises.
The company's proposals are contained in the proposed tariff schedule it has submitted to the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC).
The current tariff structure for residential premises is a three-layered one, based on the principle of, the more you consume, the more you pay.
Torrent Power has proposed that residential premises be charged 275 paise (i.e., Rs2.75) per unit per month for the first 50 units consumed. This is a hike of 1.85% per unit per month over the current charge for the first 50 units, which is Rs2.70 per unit.
For the next 150 units consumed each month, the company has proposed a charge of Rs3.40 per unit; this is 9.7% more than the Rs3.10 per unit charged currently. For residential premises that consume more than 200 units per month, Torrent Power has proposed a charge of Rs4.95 per unit. This is 25.3% more than what is currently charged for power over 200 units consumed by residential premises.
It is now for the GERC to decide whether the company can be allowed to increase power tariff or not. Sources in GERC, however, say that it is too early to predict exactly what the regulatory commission will decide.
The sources further said that a team of experts at the GERC will first study Torrent Power's proposal and will submit its suggestions after hearing objections from all the parties concerned. Incidentally, the regulatory commission has already invited objections from the public and other interested parties and it is likely to take a final decision in the matter by September-October this year.
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