PANAJI
After facing backlash over its plan to introduce a “time of day” (ToD) tariff for power consumers, Minister Ramakrishna Sudin Dhavalikar on Monday clarified that the new system will not be applicable to domestic consumers for at least the next three years and will apply only to industrial users.
The Minister also announced that the Smart Meter installation will commence from December with the government offices in the first phase and that the project is likely to be completed within three years.
Opposition parties including Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday held a protest outside the office of State Electricity Department accusing the government of creating “confusion and mismanagement” in implementing the new rates. They also demanded roll back of power tariff hike, which is set to come into force from October 1. The parties accused Dhavalikar of misleading the public about the changes.
Addressing a press conference later in the evening, Dhavalikar said the government has no intention to introduce ToD for domestic consumers and that the system is in place for industrial users for past ten years, i.e. since 2015, as per JERC norms.
“ToD is a very old scheme. It is not just in Goa but across many other States. The low tension consumers do not come under it,” he explained adding that the system is also in place in Delhi, which was introduced by AAP and also in other Congress-ruled States.
“This government will not impose ToD on the domestic consumers. Once the smart meters are installed, there is proposal for 20 per cent ToD on low tension line, and for which study has to be done. It is for the new government to decide on it in consultation with JERC and other stakeholders, the Minister explained.
As per the power tariff hike, approved by JERC, the lower tension consumers, on installation of smart meters and on choosing the time of day tariff, will be billed 80 per cent of normal rates for consumption between 9am and 5pm as against 100 per cent. During peak hours, between 5pm and 1am, consumers will be billed 120 per cent of the normal rate as against 130 per cent. Between 1am and 9am, consumers will be billed 100 per cent of the normal rate from the existing 120 per cent.
Dhavalikar said that as per the new power tariff rates, applicable from October 1, for units up to 400, the hike is of five per cent while above 400 units, the hike is between 6.2 per cent to 6.9 per cent. He said for the first 0-100 units, the hike is 2.6 per cent, 101-201 unit is- 3.6 per cent, 201-to 400 units the hike is of 5 per cent hike.
Earlier in the day, Chief Electric Engineer Stephan Fernandes had informed the political delegation that the ToD tariff presently applies only to industrial users and not to domestic consumers, as widely assumed. “For next two to three years there will be no ToD for domestic consumers. What comes in the future, I cannot say now. Power sector is dynamic and the power tariff will keep changing,” he said.
“Tariff hike is applicable as approved by JERC. The tariff order is in the public domain and we cannot go against it,” CEE added.
Two separate delegations -- one of GPCC and another of AAP -- met CEE. Opposition leaders slammed the measure as regressive, anti-people, and financially burdensome and demanded that the government roll back the hike and end the “public confusion” over the new rates.
GPCC president Amit Patkar charged that the government has not taken stakeholders into confidence while announcing implementation of ToD. He demanded that the government immediately withdraw the proposed power tariff hike and also ToD apart from smart meter installation.
Earlier speaking, AAP Goa president Amit Palekar also criticised the government, putting across a similar demand. He warned that the move would hurt middle-class households and could spark public agitation if not reversed.
