Noida residents dissatisfied with proposed power tariff hike

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The residents of Noida have expressed their dissatisfaction with the proposed hike in the electricity tariff for domestic consumers in the state. They also want fixed charges to be removed.

The residents presented their views on the matter during a public hearing on Friday at the Sector 62 Expomart with senior officials of the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission. The hearing started around 11am and went on until 4.30pm.

“We have given a memorandum of our demands to the chairman, UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC). Noida’s line losses are minimum and revenue recovery is highest. So, Noida shouldn’t be additionally burdened by the increased tariff,” said KK Jain, secretary-general, Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Association.

The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) recently submitted a proposal for increasing power tariffs to the UPERC for final approval. Earlier, the minimum and maximum tariffs were Rs 4.90 per unit and Rs 6.50 per unit, which have been revised to Rs 6.20 per unit and Rs 7.50 per unit for household connections. There is a 10% to 26% increase in tariff in different categories.

The public grievance hearing saw people from various cities such as Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, etc. raising issues and expressing their concerns.

“The residents’ welfare association (RWA) community centres have to pay commercial rates for power. This becomes a huge burden. We requested the officials that domestic rates be charged for them,” said Jain.

Residents said that they are already paying more compared to other cities. “Greater Noida pays the most in all of NCR. We had been promised 24-hour power but outages are frequent. Officials should focus on improving quality as well. The increase in tariff is completely unjustified at this point,” said Devendra Tiger, president, Golden Federation of RWAs, Greater Noida.

The Noida Federation of Apartment Owners’ Association had also started an online campaign last month against the proposed revision.

“Arguments of all parties will be heard and then a final decision will be taken, which will be binding for the power department,” said Raj Pratap Singh, chairman, UPERC.