Eyebrows have been raised by mid-year revision of electricity tariffs of industrial (HT) and domestic rates by the Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MSERC).
According to sources, the new tariff order re-issued by a newly constituted commission headed by Chandan Kumar Mondol has revised the rates thus making it cheaper for industrial HT and costlier for domestic consumers.
The sources informed that the revised tariff issued mid-year is meant to benefit the industries while the burden will fall on the domestic consumers (public).
The new tariff order reissued on October 28 states that domestic consumers will have to now pay fixed charges of Rs 90 per kilowatt per month. The energy charges the public will have to pay for the first 100 units is Rs 5.55 per kilowatt and for the next 100 units they will have to shell out Rs 5.65 per kilowatt.
As per the revised rates (October 28, 2024), for industrial consumers, the fixed charge is Rs. 310 per kilowatt per month, while energy charge is Rs. 6.51 per kilowatt.
Meanwhile, it was learnt that the MSERC has ordered to revise the bill from December 2024 to all categories of consumers.
“However recovery of increased rate will be realised from domestic consumers and return to HT industrial consumers,” sources said.
During the year 2023-24, the tariff was Rs 7.80 per kilowatt which has been reduced by Rs 1.29 per kilowatt.
Meanwhile, the earlier tariff approved by the then MSERC chairman Peter W. Ingty for the year 2024-2025 had endorsed a lower tariff for domestic consumers.
In the earlier tariff for the year 2024-2025, domestic consumers had to pay Rs 80 per kilowatt per month which remained unchanged since the year 2023-2024.
While energy charges the rate came down, for the first 100 units it was Rs 4 per kilowatt. It may be pointed out that for the year 2023-2024 the energy charge was Rs 4.50 per kilowatt.
For the next 100 units, it also came down for the year 2024-2025 (before being revised midyear) it was Rs 4.50 per kilowatt. For the year 2023-2024 the tariff was Rs 5 per kilowatt.
