If you’re living in Maharashtra, then get ready for more stress on your pocket and monthly budget as electricity bills are all set to go up by 10-20% from July due to power utility firms levying Fuel Adjustment Charges (FAC) approved by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission from June 1.
The charge was not recovered from customers for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic and is likely to come as a big hit for 10.5 lakh consumers of BEST, over 7 lakh of Tata Power, 29 lakh of Adani Electricity and 2.8 crore of MSEDCL in Maharashtra, the Times of India reported.
The rise — minimum 10% and maximum 20% — is across all consumer categories and FAC is being billed for March, April and May and will be collected in five months till November, the report said.
While officials justify the hike due to rise in price of imported coal and operational costs of running gas-based power stations, consumers are upset about the charges burning a hole in their pockets.
Last month, Union power minister RK Singh had said electricity demand in India will continue to grow and remain largely above 205 GW going ahead.
The statement was seen as significant since it came at a time when soaring temperatures had led to increased power demand, sparking concern of a crisis. As coal reserves depleted and states sent SOS, the government asked states to increase coal imports and directed Coal India Ltd to issue tenders on behalf of state discoms and independent power producers.
Meanwhile, police in Maharashtra have been dealing with several complaints of fraud where scamsters posing as electricity department employees send messages to customers about power being disconnected due to supposed unpaid bills. The fraudsters then ask the unsuspecting consumers to download an app and make the payment.
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