Congress govt hikes power tariff by Rs. 2.89 in Karnataka

BENGALURU: The Congress government in Karnataka has hiked power tariff by Rs 2.89 per unit from June. The people of the state will have to pay the hiked tariff if they fall in the more than 200 units slab.

Interestingly, during the recently-held Assembly elections, the Congress party had promised to provide 200 units of free power under the 'Griha Jyoti' scheme.

However, as the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government is geared to implement the 'Griha Jyoti' scheme, there will be a renewed tariff in place for the implementation of the scheme.

The officials at the Energy Department said that the extra cost pertains Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment (FPPCA) and includes arrears from April.

"It could not be implemented in March in the backdrop of billing issues and lack of sufficient time. It will be imposed from June, which amounts to Rs 1.49. There was a 70 paisa hike in April and 70 paisa hike in June. In total, the power tariff hike would be Rs 2.89," an official said.

The officials also said that before elections, the BJP government had approved the power tariff hike proposals sent by all the Electricity Supply Companies (Escoms) to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC).

However, the BJP did not allow the authorities to implement the new fare due to the elections, an official said.

The KERC had on May 13 ordered a tariff hike of 70 paise with retrospective effect from April 1.

Meanwhile, the opposition BJP has condemned the hike, saying that the Congress government has betrayed the people of Karnataka by increasing power tariff.

"It is like giving free power on one hand, and snatching the same on the other," the BJP said.

The Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KSSIA) has warned of a shutdown against the power tariff hike. The KSSIA maintained that it would be forced to shut shop under the new tariff.