The Hindu Business Line : CESC to hike power tariff this month

THE loss-ridden CESC Ltd, the power utility in the RPG Enterprise-fold, has decided to charge its consumers higher tariff from the May account month, collecting an additional revenue of Rs 25 crore in the process.

Mr M.S. Mukherjee, company spokesman, told reporters here that CESC was implementing the High Court order delivered on May 14, 2002, which allowed it to increase the tariff. The order set aside the tariff rates announced by the West Bengal Electricity Regulatory Commission for CESC.

The erstwhile blue chip company, which has accumulated losses of Rs 790 crore, reported a Rs 304-crore loss in 2001-02, with the Q4 loss alone being Rs 101 crore. In the current fiscal, the company now hoped to be able to mop up around Rs 250 crore.

Mr Mukherjee said that for the domestic consumers, the percentage rise varies between 8.7 per cent and 11 per cent. Of CESC's 18 lakh consumers, about 14 lakh are in the domestic category consuming less than 300 units per month, according to Mr Mukherjee.

He said that the increase works out to around 20 per cent for the industrial and commercial category consumers with the rates varying between 3.35 paise per kwH and Rs 5.4 per KwH.

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