Bengaluru: Energy Minister, D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday justified the power tariff hike announced by the Karnataka Electricty Regulatory Commission, claiming it was inevitable as the ESCOMS were buying power from outside the state for Rs 5.08 a unit at huge loss to themselves for the last three years owing to the drought.
Also, with the subsidy for farmers standing at '8800 crore, it had become essential to review the power tariff, he told reporters here.
Asked if all IP sets would be metered as suggested by the KERC, the minister said that no decision had been taken as yet. “The issue needs a wider discussion. The government will take a call after discussion with the various stakeholders,'' he added. Denying there were power cuts in the city and other parts of the state as claimed, he said if there were power outages in some areas this could be due to problems with the transmission lines in Yelahanka, Coles Park and Jigani.
