‘50% of Delhiites won’t get power subsidy in summer’

NEW DELHI: The Centre announced a Rs 260-crore subsidy for Delhiites consuming 0-400 units of power, on Friday. While the BJP-led government claims this would benefit about 80% of the city's population, sources suggest otherwise. Experts say the number of consumers falling within the lower slabs varies from season to season, and at least half the population would not be eligible during peak summer, from April to July.

Discoms claim that around 28 lakh out of the 32 lakh consumers stay within 0-400 slabs. Power sector officials, however, say this is true only during the lean months. "Lifestyle trends indicate that the purchasing power of the average resident has gone up, leading to greater preference for airconditioners," said an official. Furthermore, the subsidized tariff has remained the same in Delhi for years, right from Congress's terms to AAP's stint in Delhi and BJP's government at the Centre. "There is a 10%-15% increase in consumption every year, so beneficiaries are dwindling. The number of people who get no subsidy is also increasing. The annual growth also plays a role,'' says an official.

The principal behind the subsidy also leaves out many Delhiites. If you cross the 200 units slab by even a small margin, you get no subsidy for the first 200 units and only pay subsidized tariff for 201-400 units. Similarly, if you cross 400 units by even one unit, then you pay the full tariff. Many consumers complained that it was difficult to keep tabs. "The subsidy is planned in such a way that a single unit can make a huge difference to the billing. Sometimes consumers end up crossing the subsidized slabs by just one or two units. There should be a mechanism to alert consumers," says an expert.

Discoms say that many consumers have been trying to apply for a second meter on the same premises, claiming two households are being run from there. "DERC guidelines allow a second meter if the two households have a separate kitchen and a separate entry. So many consumers in joint families have tried to take advantage of this by applying for a second connection just to stay within the subsidized slabs,'' says a discom source. DERC officials, however, say the premises also need to be separate.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Congress,AAP,Subsidy,Power shortage,Power crisis

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