Hyderabad: If it was the GHMC elections followed by the Warangal and Khammam urban local bodies that had delayed filing of the Annual Revenue Requirement by TS Power Distribution Companies, now it is the by-poll of the Palair Assembly constituency that is likely to put on hold the power tariff hike order.
As per the Electricity Act, the ARR should be filed by November 30 and a new tariff order has to come into effect from April 1, after completing public hearings.
Though the TS Electricity Regulatory Commission has finalised the tariff order, the ruling TRS is in no mood to give the green signal to the Commission to announce a tariff hike until the polling of the Palair Assembly segment on May 16.
“Any tariff hike at this juncture would have a negative impact on voters. The TRS has been winning every election conducted after the formation of Telangana State. This time, cabinet minister Tummala Nageswara Rao is in the fray from Palair Assembly segment in Khammam district, where the TRS is not so strong compared to other districts,” sources said.
However, experts said the financial burden will be more on consumers due to the delay as they would have to pay raised power charges in just 10 months instead of the normal 12 months, if the tariff order is released after May 16 and it comes into effect from June 1.
M. Venu Gopal of the Centre for Power Development said political decisions should not come in the way of releasing the power tariff orders. “The tariff order has already been delayed by a month and now, if it is delayed due to the Palair by-polls, it will be a two-month delay. Even if the government reduced the percentage of the tariff hike to spare consumers from paying in 10 months instead of 12 months, the deficit will carry into the next financial year. Ultimately, it is the consumers who have to pay,” he said.
