High June bill as MERC hiked power rates, not govt: Nitin Raut

NAGPUR: The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has increased the power tariff from April 1 and not the state government, stated energy minister Nitin Raut in a release on Tuesday, while explaining the reasons for high power bills in June. Following an outcry, the government has allowed consumers to pay the amount in instalments.
In March, Raut had said the power tariff had been reduced by 7-8% for the next five years. He was reiterating the announcement made by MERC chairman Anand Kulkarni.
While on Tuesday, sources in MERC stuck to their earlier announcement, power experts pointed out the quasi-judicial body had hiked the tariff by around 10% for 2020-21.
As most consumers had paid average bills in April and May, the June bill amount was very high. There were complaints from all over the state that MSEDCL had sent inflated bills.
“There has been no deliberate attempt to increase the amount. It may also be high because consumers were under lockdown in the house for three months and consumed extra power,” said Raut, adding that “they should approach the nearest MSEDCL office for availing instalment facility”.
Following imposition of the lockdown, MSEDCL stopped monitoring meter readings. It sent average bills to consumers on the basis of winter power bills. As domestic power consumption in winter is not much. people got low bills.
The discom took meter readings in June and sent bills based on actual power consumption. Consequently, consumers got bills equivalent to two months following which the government came under a lot of criticism. Hence, Raut decided to agree to demands of consumers to allow payment in instalment. The announcement was made in Mumbai.
“We are a government and not moneylenders (chasing consumers’ money),” stated Raut.
Power consumer activist Pratap Hogade slammed Raut, his predecessor Chandrashekhar Bawankule of BJP and MERC for misleading consumers. “This has been happening since last five years. MERC used to claim that it has reduced power tariff and Bawankule used to repeat it. However, Raut and his party men claimed that tariff had increased. Now, Raut himself has committed Bawankule’s mistake. Unfortunately, neither Bawankule nor Raut want to acknowledge that the reason for power tariff hike is massive corruption in the three state-run power companies. Both did not take any steps to end the menace,” he told TOI.
Shantanu Dixit of Prayas Energy Group said if the tariff for small domestic consumers for March and April was compared, it would be evident that there was no increase in it. “MERC had claimed reduction by clubbing February’s fuel surcharge with the tariff and comparing it with the new one. All approaches are wrong,” he said.