Business conglomerates of the State Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) and Jharkhand Small Industries Association (JSIA) have expressed dismay over the power regulatory authority entertaining tariff revision petition for consideration.
The Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission (JSERC) is at present listening to the petition from Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam limited that has approached it seeking considerable hike in power tariff.
“The JSERC seems to have bypassed its own previous notification and entertained the petition coming for tariff revision midway. There are well laid down procedures that in the case of multi year tariff fixation, which is case at present in the State, a review petition can be filed but not the tariff revision petition. But the JBVNl has gone for revision petition and the Commission is working on it,” said Ranjit Gadodia, FJCCI president on Monday.
The Commission after being approached by the State discom has gone on calling public hearings at different places of the State including Ranchi to gather opinion from different stakeholders. Business bodies as well as common power consumers are wary about the tariff revision proposal which is expected to go northward since the Government has announced stopping sum has been given to JBVNl in the form of resource gap to meet its losses.
“We fail to understand under what pressure the JSERC is functioning. Charges are being levied from backdoor. If the Commission goes likes this it would not only be detrimental to the people of the State but also become a precedent for future and other regulatory commissions of the country may also refer to the directive,” Anjay Pacheriwala, honorary secretary with JSIA, said.
Also, the business bodies are baffling over inaction of the power company in recovering its transmission and distribution losses incurred over the period of time. “JBVNl had in 2017 filed an affidavit in the High Court promising to recover unpaid electricity bills. This has not been recovered yet. Dues with the Government is unrecovered. No proper action has been initiated against power theft barring booking the some consumers. Are they making us believe that power theft is taking place without connivance with electricity department officials,” asked Pacheriwala.
The FJCCI is now planning to file a review petition with JSERC raising these points and go on opposing the move of tariff hike during public hearings organised. If no respite is given, the business body would go on seeking other legal recourses available as well.