LAKHIMPUR: The All Assam Electricity Consumers' Association has opposed the changes to the prevailing power tariff system made by the Central Government through an amendment in the existing rules, introducing a 'Time of Day'-based power tariff mechanism.
The Central government has made changes to the prevailing power tariff system through an amendment to the existing rules, introducing a time of day"-based power tariff mechanism. According to the Time of Day (TOD) mechanism, after amendments are made to the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, the price a consumer pays for electricity will vary rather than being charged for electricity at the same rate at all times of the day. Under the proposed time-based system, the tariff during solar hours-eeight hours of a day-will be 10-20 percent less than the normal tariff, while the tariff during peak hours' will be 10-20 percent higher. This proposed tariff would apply for commercial and industrial consumers with a maximum demand of 10 KW and above from April 1, 2024, and for all other consumers except agricultural consumers from April 1, 2025. " The Time of Day tariff will be effective immediately after the installation of smart metres for consumers with smart metres, according to the Union Ministry of Power.
In this connection, Ajay Acharya and Hillol Kumar Bhattacharya, the conveners of the All Assam Electricity Consumers' Association, said in a press release that the time of day"-based power tariff mechanism would put the common people into massive anomalies by increasing the power tarriff 10-20 percent higher during the peak hours. "The common people need more power at night than during the solar hours. They stay out of home during the solar hours to earn bread and come back home at night for rest. At that time, they used more power to do different things. Their children also initiate their studies at night. At a time when the common masses need more power, the demand for it will increase. The TOD system is launched to loot the common people and reward the corporates only", the press release said.
The conveners of the organisation also expressed apprehension that the small-scale entrepreneurs would be compelled to close their night shift work in their industries due to the TOD-based power tarriff system, and therefore many people would lose their jobs.
In the same press release, the conveners of the organisation also said that the role of the regulatory mechanism of the government in fixing the power tarriff would be zero because of the TOD-based power tarriff mechanism, which would be operationalized after the installation of the prepaid smart metres. "As a result of it, the power tarriff will be increasing unabatedly, and the corporations doing business with electricity will earn more profit".
Under such circumstances, the All Assam Electricity Consumers' Association demanded the government withdraw the 'anti-consumer TOD-based power tarriff policy' and urged the consumers to initiate a stir against 'the government attack on the power sector done one after another'.
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