Delhi Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has approved a special audit of power companies to look into the pension surcharge levied on electricity tariff of consumers, an official statement from the Raj Niwas said on Tuesday. The special audit will help to track the actual pension surcharge collected by discoms from consumers in the national capital for financial years 2017-18 to 2023-24 and passed on to the pension fund, it said.  Discoms levy a pension surcharge of seven per cent on the monthly electricity bills of consumers in Delhi.

 Saxena gave the direction in larger public interests under section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2003, according to the statement. The special audit of the discoms BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL), BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited will be conducted for the financial years 2017-18 to 2023-24 through CAG-empanelled external auditors, it said. "The main objective of this special audit is to track funds collected as pension surcharge from consumers and ensure that they are being properly utilised for the funding of pensions and related benefits for the retired employees of the Delhi Vidyut Board," the statement said.

 A difference of more than Rs 1,100 crore was found in funds allocated by the DERC and that collected by discoms for the Pension Trust during the last seven years, the LG office alleged in the statement.

 During the financial year 2022-23, an amount of Rs 1,520 crores was received by the Pension Trust from discoms in the form of pension surcharge against a demand of Rs 1,930 crores, it added. The Pension Trust was established as a part of Transfer Scheme Rules, 2001, framed under the Delhi Electricity Reforms Act, 2000 and the Tripartite Agreement between the Delhi government, Delhi Vidyut Board and Joint Action Committee of Workers, Engineers and Officers of Delhi Vidyut Board.

 Later in 2010, the Supreme Court in a judgment ruled that any liability towards DVB employees and existing pensioners is the responsibility and liability of the successor utility or employer. Meanwhile,  Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva welcomed the order by Saxena to investigate the 7 per cent pension surcharge collected through power discoms on electricity bills and stated, “The party has long raised concerns about the scam involving pension surcharges and P.P.A.C. (Power Purchase Adjustment Cost) payments in electricity bills.” He added that once the party comes to power in February 2025 and it will promptly review and issue orders to roll back surcharges and additional fees.