KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Power costs may go up soon as state’s power development department is seeking changes in the existing tariff structure. State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC), the ultimate authority to fix the tariff, is in possession of the petition and will decide on it very soon.
As per the system in vogue, PDD charges Rs 1.54 per unit up to 100 units per month. For the 101-200 units per month slab, consumers pay Rs 2 per unit. It costs Rs 3 per unit for 201-400 unit/month slab and Rs 3.20 for consumers requiring more than 400 units.
PDD wants to shift the structure substantially. Its petition suggests that energy should cost Rs 1.35 per unit (kWH) and not Rs 1.19 which is in vogue. BPL population is untitled to a 35 from the existing tariff of Rs 1.19 for Below Poverty Line category of consumers having consumption up to 30 units per month.
The new tariff, if accepted by the SERC, will be applicable for the next fiscal 2016-17 till the next review.
PDD has sought permission to sell energy at Rs 2.27 per unit up to 200 units per month and doing away with the first step of the slap up to 100 units, a month.
Similarly, it has sought a rate of Rs 3.41 per unit for the slab 201-400 per month, and Rs 3.64 for the section of consumers consuming 400 to 800 units a month. For consumption beyond 800 units, the rate could be Rs 4.20 per unit.
For areas not metered, PDD seeks permission to charge Rs 335 instead of Rs 89 for one-fourth of a kilo watt agreement; Rs 295 up to half KW and Rs 664 up to 1 KW (instead of Rs 445).
PDD wants Rs 2.9 per unit up to 100 units per month, Rs 4.44 per unit for consumption between 101 and 300 units per month and Rs 4.78 per unit for consumption beyond 300 units per month. It intends to reduce the number of slab in vogue.
Consumers availing 3-phase connections may have to pay Rs 5.12 per unit against the existing Rs 4.55. Fixed charges for single phase could go up to Rs 48, eight rupees more than what is in vogue.
For unmetered commercial connections, PDD wants Rs 2192 for above one KW load against existing rate of Rs 1925.
Tariff may change for the agriculture consumers which otherwise fall in priority sector. PDD wants to charge Rs 5.42 per kVAH as against prevailing Rs 4.75 for above 20 HP.
Power department says that its request for changing the tariff and making the energy slightly costly is dictated by the problems it is facing on its requirement front. In the last financial year (2014-15), the overall fund requirement for the department was Rs 5726.92 crore against the overall tariff collection of Rs 1813.72 crore that left a deficit of Rs 3913.19 crore.
For the current fiscal, the PDD anticipates its requirement of resources to be Rs 6016.94 crore and puts its tariff collection at Rs 2590.43 crore. This would leave a deficit of Rs 3426.50 crore to be managed from all sources.
PDD anticipates its fund requirement for 2016-17 to be Rs 6384.34 crore and hopes to collect a tariff if Rs 2812.21 crore which will still has a deficit element of Rs 3572.14 crore. The department plans to reduce the deficit by Rs 506.52 crore by changing structure.
