PANAJI
Electricity bills are set to increase in the State with the government notifying rates for public lighting duty based on electricity units consumed.
The rates have been notified and will be implemented with effect from June 1. With the additional duty, the consumer electricity bills will rise as high as 5 paise per unit for low tension power users and 8 paise per unit for low tension commercial power users and all high tension domestic, commercial and industrial power users.
As a result, the normal average unit consumption of 300 units in a household would lead to a hike in electricity bills by Rs 15 per month.
The Goa Public Lighting Duty Bill was passed in 2021 by the government during the tenure of Nilesh Cabral as power minister.
This bill was brought in to levy duty which will be used to erect public infrastructure for public lighting, install street lights and operate, maintain and upkeep all existing street lights. These funds will also be used to pay the energy bills of public street lights in the entire State.
As per the notification, the low income group consumer (Low Tension-LIG/LT-LIG) will be exempted from this public lighting duty.
Low tension users including agriculture users (Low Tension-Domestic/LT-D, Low Tension-Agriculture/LT-AGP (Pump sets/Irrigation), Low Tension-Agriculture alliad/LT-AGA(Alliet activities) will have to pay an additional 5 paise per unit.
All High tension domestic, commercial, industrial (HT-C,HT-D, HT-I, HT Ferro Metallurgical) power uses as well as low tension commercial users (LT-C, LT-I, LT-P) will have to pay an additional 8 paise per unit.
