PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The electricity consumers of the State are in for a shock from raised power tariff ahead of the summer season. The Uttarakhand Electricity Regulatory Commission (UERC) has decided to raise the power tariff of different categories in the State. Overall, the power tariffs have been increased by 5.62 per cent. The increased rates will be applicable from April 2025.
The hike in the power tariffs approved by the UERC are much less than the 12.01 per cent hike proposed by the UPCL. The commission has affected an increase of 33 paise per unit for the domestic consumers and 42 paise for the commercial consumers. It has raised the tariff for small industries by 35 paise per unit and 45 paise per unit for the large industries. The commission has raised the tariff for the electronic vehicle charging stations by 65 paise.
For the domestic consumers, using up to 100 units of electricity per month, the commission has increased the tariff by 25 paise per unit while the consumers using 101 -200 units per month will have to shell out 35 paise per unit more. The commission has increased the tariff by 45 paise per unit for the consumers using 201 to 400 unit power per month.
The commission has also not spared the consumers residing in the higher Himalayan regions from the increased power tariffs. Here an increase of 10 paise per unit has been done.
The tariff of the educational institutes, government offices and hospitals has been increased by 30 paise per unit for the consumers using up to 25 KW power and 35 paise per unit for more than 25 KW power.
For commercial consumers, the commission has not increased the fixed charges but has affected an increase of 35 paise per unit for those using up to four KW power. For consumers having power usage up to 25 KW, an increase of 40 paise per unit. For small industries an increase of 35 paise per unit has been done while the tariff of large industries has been raised by 45 paise per unit.
The commission has expressed its annoyance over continued power thefts in the State and has decided to conduct audits of the divisions and sub divisions of UPCL where incidents of power theft are more.
