Ref. : ER/Press/’03/Gerc-Geb.28/kkb-dg

Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS), Ahmedabad, has filed a petition before the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) against the Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB), objecting to the Board’s revision of ‘miscellaneous charges’ for its consumers from 1 March 2003.

The revised ‘miscellaneous charges’ of the GEB and the charges levied by the Ahmedabad Electricity Company (AEC) and the Surat Electricity Company (SEC) are as follows:

Type of supply	Rent per meter per month in Rs.
	GEB Before 1.3.03	GEB from 1.3.03	AEC/SEC Existing
Single phase	5.00	10.00	3.50
Three phase	20.00	30.00	10.00
LT with MD	150.00	225.00	100.00
HT meters	750.00	750.00	300.00

 

CERS has stated that the GEB has not taken any approval from the GERC and, therefore, prayed the Commission to quash and set aside the revision of ‘miscellaneous charges’ with immediate effect and refund or adjust the amount collected from its consumers from 1 March 2003.

The GEB has also violated the tariff order issued by the GERC on 10 October 2000 wherein the revenue received from meter rents, service line capacitors, recovery from theft and malpractice, and wheeling charges have been included as income for the purpose of revision of tariff.

The Government of Gujarat had appointed a State-level Committee of Energy Experts to prepare a common draft of “Conditions of Supply and Miscellaneous Charges” applicable to the GEB, the AEC and the SEC. The Committee prepared a draft of common conditions of supply and submitted to the Government of Gujarat on 31 May 2002 and deliberately avoided the issue of `miscellaneous charges’ as it falls under the jurisdiction of the GERC after implementation of the Electricity Regulatory Commission Act, 1998.

The petitioner has quoted a similar revision made by the GEB in 2000 for ‘parallel operation charges’ in the case of captive power producers. The Commission, on its own, issued a suo moto notice to the GEB, demanding explanation for the revision of ‘parallel operation charges’. The Commission passed an order on 31 August 2000 for Case No. 34/2000 and directed the GEB to withdraw the revision. The GERC order further stated that the GEB or the Government of Gujarat had no authority to revise any charges after the constitution of the GERC.

CERS has further demanded that the GEB be penalised for violation of the GERC’s tariff order. It should also tender an unconditional apology and give an undertaking not to revise such or any other charges without the permission or approval of the GERC, the petition added.

Date :20/07/2003
Place : Ahmedabad

Pritee Shah, Editor, INSIGHT – The Consumer Magazine