FKCCI thanks Govt for avoiding steep power hikes

NT Correspondent

The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) have thanked Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai for considering its submission and directing the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) to allow only a marginal hike in power tariff effective from April 1, 2022.

“The Bescom had initially proposed Rs 1.58 per unit energy charge and now KERC has approved only 5 paisa. The fixed/demand charges initially Bescom proposed Rs 80 to Rs 225 per KW/KVA and now the KERC has approved Rs 10 to Rs 30 considering uniform tariff increase. The overall average increase accounts for 35 paise per unit which is approximately 4.33% as against 23.83% proposed by Bescom,” said FKCCI president I S Prasad.

To achieve the marginal tariff revision, the FKCCI had submitted strong objections and appeared before the KERC during a public hearing with facts and figures. The FKCCI explained in detail the impact of tariff hike in industries. This is because of our continuous effort & strong objections before KERC.

KASSIA welcomes rebate
KASSIA has welcomed the rebate of 50 paise per unit extended to micro and small scale industries in the monthly energy consumption for one year, as per the latest Order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), to help them tide over the adverse effects of Covid-19. KASSIA administrator P. Shashidhar also welcomed concessions given to ice manufacturing units and cold storage plants, and the continuation of the discounts to HT2 categories.