In a move that could benefit HT consumers, particularly industries in a big way, the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) has decided to reduce the minimum period of agreement from two years to one year for both Low Tension and High Tension consumers.
APERC Chairman Justice G. Bhavani Prasad said a number of HT consumers and consumer organisations had sought reduction of the minimum period of agreement with DISCOMs during public hearings conducted by the APERC.
He added that consumers had told APERC that at the time of the agreement, they were unaware of their actual requirements and hence were sustaining huge losses owing to restrictions on reducing the Contracted Maximum Demand for two years. Therefore, they had sought reduction of the minimum HT agreement period from two years to one.
APERC noted that network costs and changes in the agreement periods caused no loss to distribution companies, whereas consumers had no escape from the heavy liability for two years even if their appeals for prior changes were justified.
Further, the APERC accepted the request of consumers belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes for exemption from development charges for obtaining electricity connections with contracted loads up to 500 W.
APERC accepts request of SC/ST consumers for exemption from development charges for obtaining electricity connections
