Power bill shocker: Pkl locals ready to knock at HERC doors
Panchkula: Concerned residents of Panchkula have come together to draft and circulate a petition in response to a recent steep increase in power bills.
The petition, drafted by the Federation of Residents Associations (FORA), an umbrella body of residents welfare associations, will be formally submitted to the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission on Thursday in a bid to challenge and reduce the hike.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Residents have shown solidarity and pushed for fair and affordable utility pricing.
"We studied different bills and found that the cumulative effect of this revision, as notified by the respondent, is not only excessive and disproportionate but also amounts to an unjust enrichment by way of inflated charges imposed on consumers without adequate justification or supporting cost analysis. These arbitrary escalations, especially in the domestic and industrial sectors, violate the principle of reasonableness in tariff setting, fail to protect the consumer interest envisaged under the Electricity Act, 2003, and merit urgent judicial scrutiny," said RP Malhotra, president, FORA.
"Thus, we are moving the petition Thursday. During elections, we were told that no power rates would be hiked, but the opposite happened, that too unannounced. Fixed charges are adding to a huge increase," he added.
Solution Box's founder Mohit Gupta said, "At this stage, very few people understand the implications. It is around Rs 10,000 per year for 10 kW+ connections and Rs 4,000 per year for 5 kW connections. Add to this the enhanced slab rates.
It will make a huge impact on small and medium domestic consumers."
B R Mehta, a Sector 25 resident, said, "How will HERC justify before the court of law when challenged legally that consumers with much higher consumption are getting much lower bills than consumers with much lower consumption being asked to pay much higher amounts of bills?"
Many residents said they have received bills with an increase of almost 100 to 400% compared to last year's bill. They are calling it illogical while the power department has said they have prepared bills as per commission's revised order.
The Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission had raised domestic and industrial categories from 20 to 30 paise per kWh (kilowatt hours)/kVAh from last year.
MSID:: 121627153 413 |
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Rice, tea exporters to Iran bear the brunt of Iran-Israel conflict
Shipments of a significant quantity of basmati rice and tea, the two major commodities that are exported from India to Iran, are on hold because of the Iran-Israel conflict, putting exporters on wait and watch mode. Iran is the largest market for Indian basmati rice as 1.2 million tonnes of the total six million tonnes of annual exports go to Iran. 'All shipments and payments are on hold,' said Mohit Gupta, a New Delhi-based rice exporter. 'The exporters are talking to the officials and hope for a solution in a couple of days. International price for basmati rice has dropped by $100 a tonne because of the conflict and stocks are beginning to pile up with the exporters,' he said. One of the major exporters of tea said 20,000-25,000 tonnes of tea goes to Iran from India annually, mainly orthodox tea. This is the prime season in Assam for the best quality tea. However, because of the conflict, fresh exports to Iran are on hold now, while the teas at ports are likely to be shipped, depending on the buyer. 'There are withdrawals and drop in price at the auction; shipments are stopped and no one knows how the situation will develop, especially with the attacks escalating. Exporters will get the payment only after shipment. Right now, the priority in Iran is for essentials,' the exporter said. B. Rajesh Chander, member of the Tea Board India, said many of those operating to Iran did not take part in the auctions on Wednesday. 'There is fear that exports to countries such as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan may also get affected in the future if the conflict continues,' he said. Officials from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry will meet stakeholders from the trade, shipping, and export-oriented sectors on Friday to discuss the problems they are facing due to the Israel-Iran conflict, and how the government could help address these issues. According to sources, prior to the meeting, the Commerce Ministry sought information and feedback from exporters on the extent of impact due to the Iran-Israel tensions, how they were accommodating these factors, and their expectations. While these inputs are coming in, exporters said that air freight costs had already increased and sea freight costs too were expected to go up. The exporters are also factoring in a surge in fuel costs and risk insurance premiums. The Hindu had last week reported that potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Israel-Iran conflict would add 15-20 days to India's shipping times, and 40-50% to shipping costs.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Second phase waste-to-energy plant at Jawaharnagar to begin in August, GHMC tells NGT
Hyderabad: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has informed the National Green Tribunal, southern zone, that the second phase of the waste-to-energy (WtE) plant at Jawaharnagar, with a capacity of 24 MW, is expected to commence operations in the first week of Aug. In an affidavit submitted by GHMC commissioner RV Karnan, it was stated that a power purchase agreement was signed on May 12 between Hyderabad MSW Energy Solutions Private Ltd and the Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited (TGSPDCL). The agreement is currently awaiting approval from the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission. The boilers department has granted permission to operate both boilers following successful hydro tests. Steam blowout tests are scheduled for the third week of July, signaling that mechanical systems are on track for commissioning. The tariff for the energy generated will be determined by TGERC under section 62 of the Electricity Act, 2003. It will include considerations such as the tipping fee, with interim arrangements possibly sought through a separate petition. Any govt incentives availed by the operator must be passed on to the discom in line with TGERC directives. The affidavit clarified that no transmission, wheeling, or additional charges will be imposed by TGTransco or the discom for energy purchased. The plant can draw power from the grid only during shutdowns or maintenance, limited to auxiliary consumption (11% of installed capacity). Status of other WtE projects The GHMC is also progressing on other WtE plants. A revised NOC was issued on June 9 to Sri Venkateshwara Green Power Projects Ltd, enhancing the Yacharam plant's capacity from 12 MW to 14 MW. GHMC has requested TGSPDCL to initiate a PPA. This project is expected to be commissioned by Dec 2026. Meanwhile, the stalled Bibinagar project—idle since 2017–18 due to IL&FS's financial troubles—is under review for possible revival. The affidavit was submitted in response to a petition filed by Shankar Narayanan Bala Krishnan and others on waste management and environmental compliance.
The Hindu
6 days ago
- The Hindu
KSEB's move to impose fixed charge on solar ‘prosumers' challenged in HC
The Kerala State Electricity Board's (KSEB) decision to impose a fixed charge on the use of electricity generated by consumers through their own solar grids has been challenged before the Kerala High Court. The petition was filed on Monday by Josekutty Thomas of Malappuram and nine others who generate power through their own solar grids. According to the petitioners, the decision is arbitrary and illegal. 'Prosumers,' who invest significantly in renewable energy infrastructure, are being unfairly treated on a par with other consumers. 'Not KSEB supply' They said that the electricity generated and immediately consumed within their premises belongs solely to the prosumer and does not constitute a supply from KSEB though the solar grid is connected to the KSEB grid. It was akin to charges being levied on the energy not supplied by KSEB. The petitioners contended that no specific provision had been made in the Electricity Act, 2003, or any tariff order approved by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) which empower the KSEB to impose a fixed charge on the self-consumed energy. Therefore, the decision is arbitrary, unauthorised, and violative of the statutory provisions. The petitioners also said that the demand for security deposits calculated on total consumption, including self-generated energy, is illegal.
