The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Reject rise in tariff, society urges KERC

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Reject rise in tariff, society urges KERC

Special Correspondent

Society buying power from HESCOM

BANGALORE: Hukkeri Rural Electric Cooperative Society, which is the only cooperative society managing power distribution in the State, has appealed to the State power regulator to cancel the tariff hike effected by the Hubli Power Supply Company (HESCOM) for it.

In a hearing by Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission in Bangalore on Thursday, society’s counsel Sridhar Prabhu pointed out that the society has been buying power at a bulk rate from HESCOM for supplying in turn to its consumers. However, HESCOM had increased the bulk tariff for the society, which had 72,699 consumers, from April 1, 2008, he alleged.

He maintained that it was the prerogative of the commission to decide the tariff for this society and appealed to the commission to declare as illegal the decision by HESCOM to increase the tariff on its own. He appealed to the commission to direct HESCOM to collect only the tariff prescribed by the commission in its order with respect to an application filed by the society for approval of its ERC (Expected Revenue from Charges) for 2008-09 to 2009-10 under the multi-year tariff frame work.

Mr. Prabhu said the society was one of the five pilot rural electric co-operative societies established in India through Rural Electrification Corporation under sponsorship from USAID and in collaboration with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association of the United States. As much as 76 per cent of its consumers were either operating irrigation pumpsets or were agricultural households.

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