Assam Government puts ASEB’s Pension Burden on Consumers

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI, Sept 27: People already burdened with rising fuel prices are now set to pay more for their monthly bills with the Assam Assembly on Thursday passing the Assam Electricity Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2018 to enrich the pension coffer of Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB).

The new legislation will replace fixed “electricity duty” of 20 paise per unit with an ad-valorem rate of five per cent on overall energy charge, having a scope to further increase it to 10 per cent.

It will empower the State Government to enhance electricity duty in future with a upper ceiling of 10 percentum of the aggregate value of energy charges and fixed charges. At present, “electricity duty” is charged at 20 paise per unit and there is no scope to raise it beyond this amount.

With passing of the Assam Electricity Duty (Amendment) Bill, 2018, the monthly electricity bills of consumers will see a rise which the Opposition Congress strongly opposed. Even though there will be no direct tariff hike, consumers will have to pay more amount due to ad-valorem rate of five per cent on overall energy charge.

The Congress vehemently opposing the Bill requested the ruling BJP not to bring such legislation at this juncture when the people are burdened with constant rise of fuel prices. But the ruling BJP passed the Bill on voice vote forcing the Congress to stage a walkout in the Assembly on Thursday.

Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the new legislation will in enriching the pension coffer for the employees of ASEB. He said even though the State Government should give a grant of Rs 500 crore to the ASEB’s pension coffer every year, the previous governments in Dispur did not release such amount in the recent years resulted in a gap of Rs 4500 crore.

“The present government has already paid Rs 1000 crore to the coffer,” Sarma said.