Ranchi, August 17: Public hearing on tariff petition of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) took place today. Due to covid-19 the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) heard the matter virtually with due attention to social distancing.
DVC in its petition had proposed a hike of 1.5 to 2 percent in its power tariff. It has justified the hike saying that it supplies power at a lower rate. While JBVNL is charging Rs 6.73 per unit in 2019-2020 DVC is supplying power at the rate of Rs 4.93 per unit, it argued. DVC also presented the details of its income and expenditure to justify its hike proposal.
DVC supply power in seven districts of state including Chatra, Hazaribagh, Giridih, Dhanbad, Bokaro and Ramgarh and thus many customers of those areas participated in the hearing and opposed the tariff hike proposal.
During the hearing consumers raised doubt over financial projection and demanded adjustment of surplus amount. Majority of consumers said that proposed traffic is high and at the time of pandemic caused by novel coronavirus such hike is unjustified.
A consumer Bhusan Rashtogi said that DVC has shown a surplus amount in the financial year 2017-18 and 2018-19 and thus it is required to be adjusted now in accordance with the guideline of Central Electricity Regulatory Commission before any discussion of hike in power tariff.
Some of the consumers said that DVC does not follow the provision made for fixing power tariff by power producing companies and generators. The consumers said that some of the cases involving violations done by DVC are already pending before state electricity regulatory commission and thus before considering the petition for hike in power tariff of the company those matters should be discussed.
