the goan I network
MARGAO
The government on Tuesday tried to allay the apprehensions of the power consumers about the proposed ` 0.76 per unit hike in power bills.
Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar told the media that the consumers will have to bear the Fuel Power Purchase & Cost Adjustment (FPPCA) charges only for the next three months. “The charges that has been proposed will be minimum. The consumers will have to bear only for three months as the state has already paid ` 92.58 crore FPPCA charges,” he told the media.
He said these FPPCA charges will get notified for current quarter by today or tomorrow. However, this is totally unavoidable and uncontrollable as the same is as per the JERC regulations. “We have tried our best to minimize the impact on the consumers. This amount is the minimum rate, but it is mandatory. We did not put the amount in the bills because the bill of ` 92.58 crore came late”, he said.
Madkaikar said the FPPCA charges for every quarter of the year are being determined based on the formula approved by JERC, adding that the charges are applicable for all consumer categories except for Below Poverty Line ie low income group consumers and agricultural consumers for their consumption.
