The two distribution companies — AP Southern Power Distribution Company and the AP Eastern Power Distribution company — have proposed tariff hikes to different categories of consumers. The discoms propose to raise Rs. 738 crore through the proposed tariff hike and agriculture consumers and other low end domestic consumers had been spared from the hike.
According to sources, the discoms have proposed to divide the consumers into different categories based on their average consumption during the current year. The discoms have also reduced the number of slabs so that the billing would be uniform in the proposals submitted to the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Accordingly, consumers with single phase connections and with consumption up to 50 units a month had been in Group A and this group was left untouched by the latest hike. Sources said a marginal hike had been proposed for consumers in different slabs up to 200 units while it was targeted to raise a major chunk of over Rs. 200 crore from the commercial and HT industrial consumers.
The utilities, sources said, proposed a overall hike of 4 per cent across the categories and the Commission is expected to announce the schedule for the public hearings shortly.
Source:The Hindu
