While the national capital of Delhi is terribly hot with unbearable heat waves the Delhi citizens have been loaded with another weight of 7 to 10 percent increase on monthly tariffs despite the hard fact that inflation is touching new heights and people already reeling under it, coping with the situation after squeezing their personal desires.
This seems to be the first gift to Delhi citizens after the new regime came into power in Delhi after twenty seven protracted years. The new regime before elections during the campaigning has accorded several assurances to the Delhi electorates with Ayushman implemented forthwith but other freebies seem to have gone into back burner.
However, the recent announcement by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission regarding PPAC adjustment amounting to monthly increase from seven to ten percent to electricity tariffs have infact worried the Delhi population with the Resident Welfare Associations and the opposition parties criticizing this decision tooth and nail.
According to the news reports the DERC in its separate orders earlier this month granted permission to the three Discoms to recover the Power Purchase Adjustment Cost of third quarter of 2024 -25 in the May June 2024 period. This increase allowed by the DERC on PPAC is 7.25% for BRPL, 8.11% for BYPL and 10.47% for TPDDL.
The Power Purchase Adjustment means a hike in the fuels ( coal, gas) costs that is levied by the Electricity Generation Companies and recovered by by electricity companies from the Delhi consumers which was never done during the previous government of Aam Admi Party who bore the entire losses itself rather than putting the burder on the Delhi consumers.
This possible increase of 7 to 10 % on the Delhi consumers now, which wasn’t earlier is calculated by the Discoms as percentage of fixed charge ( units consumed) components of the electricity bills.
Coming down heavily in the Delhi BJP government led by Mrs Rekha Gupta, CM the Congress Delhi president Devendra Yadav said this is yet another financial blow on the already struggling Delhi households with Aam Admi Party terming it a stunning betrayal to Delhi citizens who’ve voted it to power.
The Delhi Congress president Devendra Yadav said that the triple engine BJP government is practising the corrupt Kejrival model by raising the PPAC surcharge forgetting that the BJP leaders and workers were in Delhi streets to protest against such anti people power tariffs of the then AAP government led by Arvind Kejrival.
The AAP MLA and leader Kuldeep Kumar while strongly criticizing the BJP government said that it was talking of giving free electricity to Delhi consumers but after few months of coming to power it has slapped them with increasing power tariffs thus benefitting the private electricity and power generation companies.
The United RWA association has strongly come out against the Delhi BJP government’s decision saying that the Commission has outrightly failed in its duty and role as the guardian of the Delhi consumers.
The tarrif fixation commission holds a crucial responsibility and it has failed on this count.
Since the fuel surcharge costs are broadly similar, under section 54 (4) PPAC rates shouldn’t be hiked so much up said Saurabh Gandhi , general secretary of United Residents of the national capital ( Delhi).
It may be recalled that during the AAP Delhi government’s tenure this never happened , and even if it happened the Delhi government bore the entire expenses from its financial coffers not let the Delhi consumers suffer.
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