Buckling under pressure from different quarters, the State Government on Monday said there would be no power tariff hike in the State during the current year.
“Filing of review petitions on tariff with the OERC or Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEl) by power distribution companies (discoms) is a routine matter. They have reiterated their stand on the previous decision on tariff before the commission. Since the commission has already announced the tariff order for this year, there is no possibility of tariff hike in near future,” said Energy secretary Rajesh Verma. Verma said that the consumers need not panic on the matter.
Notably in March, the OERC had announced that there would be no hike in electricity tariff for any category of consumers in the State for the 2016-17 fiscal. He had also stated that there would be no change in the transmission charges of 25 paise per unit.
Rising to media reports on a possible tariff hike, many organisations have declared to take to the streets.
The Odisha Rajya Bidyut Upabhokta Mahasangha would stage a demonstration in front of the OERC office during the hearing on the proposed hearing on power tariff petition.
A meeting held under Mahasangah president Panchanan Kanugo took a decision in this regard. “Gridco, OPGC and OHPC and discoms’ power tariff hike proposals placed before the OERC are anti-people. We will oppose the proposed hearing to be conducted by the OERC on Tuesday,” said Mahasangha convenor Rabi Behera.