Power tariff likely to go up in national capital
23 April 2013 2:03 AM GMT
The power tariff in the national capital is expected to be hiked soon, with the union power ministry rejecting Delhi government’s demand to be provided cheaper power from the National Thermal Power Corporation(NTPC). The union home ministry has said that the centre is already providing power from pit head stations of NTPC.
A week after the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission(DERC) wrote to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, recommending bailout package for the city’s discoms, owing to lack of infrastructural help from the Centre, the chief minister had met union power minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on 19 February. At that time, Scindia had assured Dikshit that the central government would consider extending financial support to the power distribution companies(Discom). After assurance from Scindia, The Delhi government had sent a formal letter to the power ministry on the same.
Tariff petitions filed by the three discoms before the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission have projected a revenue gap of Rs 19,505 crore by the end of this fiscal year. However, with elections round the corner, the Delhi government is not in favour of another hike in tariff to meet the gap.
On the other hand, the power minister has clearly sated that the Centre is providing 3,657 megawatt electricity to Delhi at cheaper rates. Since 2012, Delhi has intermittently raised the demand for reinstating the allocation of cheaper power from pit head stations of NTPC.
In the letter, the Delhi government had also asked for extending the benefits of the Restructured Accelerated Power Development & Reforms Programme(RAPDRP) scheme to the three discoms. Although, the Scheme is limited to state-owned discoms only, both the Delhi government and DERC had recommended that the scheme and its benefits should be passed on to the discoms, given their financial conditions and the peculiarity of the power situation in Delhi.
The scheme was started in 2000-01 for restoring commercial viability of the distribution sector.Punjab, Gujrat, Haryana, Rajsthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradhesh, Kerala and West Bengal have already benefitted a lot from the scheme.
A week after the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission(DERC) wrote to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, recommending bailout package for the city’s discoms, owing to lack of infrastructural help from the Centre, the chief minister had met union power minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on 19 February. At that time, Scindia had assured Dikshit that the central government would consider extending financial support to the power distribution companies(Discom). After assurance from Scindia, The Delhi government had sent a formal letter to the power ministry on the same.
Tariff petitions filed by the three discoms before the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission have projected a revenue gap of Rs 19,505 crore by the end of this fiscal year. However, with elections round the corner, the Delhi government is not in favour of another hike in tariff to meet the gap.
On the other hand, the power minister has clearly sated that the Centre is providing 3,657 megawatt electricity to Delhi at cheaper rates. Since 2012, Delhi has intermittently raised the demand for reinstating the allocation of cheaper power from pit head stations of NTPC.
In the letter, the Delhi government had also asked for extending the benefits of the Restructured Accelerated Power Development & Reforms Programme(RAPDRP) scheme to the three discoms. Although, the Scheme is limited to state-owned discoms only, both the Delhi government and DERC had recommended that the scheme and its benefits should be passed on to the discoms, given their financial conditions and the peculiarity of the power situation in Delhi.
The scheme was started in 2000-01 for restoring commercial viability of the distribution sector.Punjab, Gujrat, Haryana, Rajsthan, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradhesh, Kerala and West Bengal have already benefitted a lot from the scheme.
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