Maharashtra: Power tariff for residential consumers to reduce from April 1
Amid the government’s back and forth on resolving the issue of inflated power bills during lockdown, tariffs for residential consumers across utilities will reduce by 0-2% on an average starting April 1.
Amid the government’s back and forth on resolving the issue of inflated power bills during lockdown, tariffs for residential consumers across utilities will reduce by 0-2% on an average starting April 1.
While tariff for residential consumers of the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking (BEST) will remain largely unchanged, for low-end consumers (0-100 and 100-300) of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL), it will reduce by 2%. BEST has around 1 million residential consumers in the island city and MSEDCL supplies power across the state and some parts of Mumbai.
Tata Power consumers in the 0-100 unit category will see a 4% reduction. High-end consumers of Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited (AEML) will see a 1% reduction in rates. Tata Power supplies electricity to 0.7 million residents in the city, while AEML has close to 2.7 million consumers in the city.
The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) had passed its multi-year tariff order on March 30 last year. Based on the order, tariff will be revised every year starting April 1 till the year 2025.
Power consumers in the city and state have been stressed since a year with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government going back and forth on providing relief to consumers who received inflated bills during the lockdown. While MSEDCL had started disconnecting power supply for those who had not paid their dues, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar in the on-going budget declared that there will be no disconnection of electricity supply for farmer and local residents who failed to pay their bills until the issue of non-payment of the outstanding bills is debated in the session.