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Thursday, Jan 24, 2008
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Tariff: Escoms to move tribunal

Special Correspondent

BANGALORE: The State power regulator’s Sankranti gift of reducing the tariff will not come through after all. All the five Electricity Supply Companies (Escoms) have decided to file an appeal before the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (ATE) seeking stay on the new tariff order that is to be implemented from February 1.

Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) Managing Director Bharat Lal, who is also Chairman of all the five Escoms, told presspersons here on Wednesday that it was “impossible” to implement such an order.

Terming the order as “irrational and misleading,” he said although the power regulator was trying to make out the order as pro-consumer, in reality it would affect the interests of consumers in the next couple of years.

The new tariff had not provided any scope for making adequate investments for upgrading the power network, he said.

Besides, the ATE was yet to dispose of the petition challenging the previous tariff order issued by the power regulator.

Hence, the KERC should wait for the ATE’s decision on the previous order, he said.

Meanwhile, there was another major hindrance to the implementation of the new tariff order.

KPTCL had earlier questioned the transmission tariff order issued by the commission before the ATE. Later, the transmission tariff was modified by the commission following directions from the ATE.

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