Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday sought financial assistance from the Union Power Ministry to insulate consumers from any possible hike in power tariff. In a meeting with Power Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Dikshit said his Ministry must extend help to the city Government to ensure common man can be given relief from any hike in tariff in near future.
The demand for central assistance by Dikshit came days after power regulator Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission shot off a letter to the CM seeking bailout package for the private power distribution companies. Officials said Scindia asked the Chief Minister to send a detailed note to him on the Delhi Government’s demand.
“The Delhi Government will send the note to the Power Ministry by Tuesday,” said an official. In the letter to Dikshit, DERC chairman P Sudhakar had said that the regulator will be forced to hike tariff if the Government fail to provide financial assistance to the discoms. DERC had hiked the tariff by 22 per cent in August 2011 and by 26 per cent in June last year for domestic consumers. Delhi Government was not in favour of another hike in tariff.
