Govt. keen on increasing power tariff

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, JUNE 24. The Government is keen on increasing the electricity tariff and has referred the matter to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission to elicit its views.

The Minister of State for Energy, Mr. Veerakumar.A.Patil, told presspersons here on Saturday that based on the recommendations of the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited, the Cabinet had referred the matter pertaining to the increase to the regulatory commission. In all likelihood, the quantum of increase would be between 10 and 30 per cent and would be effected in about two months.

He said, the Government was also keen on installing meters for the Bhagya Jyothi connections owing to the increasing number of complaints pertaining to overdrawal of power. The Bhagya Jyothi connections were purely for the benefit of the people below the poverty line and the connections were only for a 40 W electricity bulb per house which would entitle the usage of 18 units of power per month. However, it had been noticed that the beneficiaries had tapped the connection for more number of bulbs apart from television sets and other facilities. There were over 18 lakh Bhagya Jyothi connections in the State. The scheme was introduced 15 years ago.

Mr. Patil said the Bhagya Jyothi connections would be metered on a trial basis in select villages and towns. The Government would like to know the electricity consumption of the Bhagya Jyothi connections. Providing meters to all connections in one go would be difficult as it involved heavy expenditure. "We are awaiting the views of the commission in this matter," he said.

The minister said the Government had ensured a proper coordination between the Finance Department and the Energy Department to recover the dues of about Rs. 380 crores from the Government organisations and other offices. The aim was to directly draw funds, earmarked for various government organisations, from the Finance Department. The Chief Secretary to the Government would head the committee which would comprise the Secretary to the Energy Department and the Secretary to the Finance Department, among others.

The Government had also written to the Centre seeking its cooperation in the payment of dues of several Union Government undertakings and Union Government offices in the State. However, while the dues to the MPTCL was about Rs. 450 crores, the dues of the KPTCL to various power suppliers including the State-owned Karnataka Power Corporation was over Rs. 900 crores. At one stage, the Neyveli Power Corporation had even threatened to cut power that it supplied to the State unless the outstanding amount was cleared.

On the unauthorised irrigation pumpsets whose number had been estimated to be over 25,000, Mr. Veerakumar Patil said they had been given a deadline. They should seek regularisation before August 15 or else face disconnection. Action would be taken against the KPTCL officials, who were hand-in-glove with farmers who owned unauthorised pumpsets. A review of the financial condition of the KPTCL recently had indicated that transmission and distribution losses were on the increase and simultaneously the cost of rural electrification subsidy had reached a high level, he added.

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Section  : Southern States
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