People in Maharashtra were concerned with the raised power bills for the months of April, May, and June. Now, they may get some relief in the coming months as the surplus amount for all this might be borne by the Maharashtra Government, said the officials.
Rebate up to a certain percentage in the existing power bill or reduce charges in the current slabs were the two options the government had to be implemented to bring down power bills from next month.
According to the State Energy Department’s proposal, the waiver has been divided into three slabs based on power consumption by each household. It will bear the entire cost if usage is up to 100 units in excess to the usage of the corresponding period last year. For 101-300 units, it has proposed to waive off 75% and 50% if units in excess are up to 500, said a Senior Official.
The proposal costing around Rs 1,500 crore may be discussed in the next cabinet meeting. Officials said that instead of providing cash, the amount is going to be adjusted in the next month’s bill.
Authorities said, “The excess amount will be deducted from the current power bill and people will have to pay only the remaining amount.”
The proposal will be applicable for both private and government power distribution companies.
There have been complaints about the power bills, but power distribution companies have denied error on their part and that the summer and Covid-19 have increased the power usage suspending the meter-reading resulting to increase in bills.
Following hue and cry on the issue, State Energy Minister Nitin Raut declared to provide relief to the people. The state also approached Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) for the same.
