"Discrimination" in collecting power tariff in Assam: CLPF

Guwahati, Sept 26: The Consumers' Legal Protection Forum here today demanded that the "discrimination" going on in collecting power tariff from common electricity consumers and the state government be stopped immediately.

Instead of any discrimination, power tariff should be collected equally from both the common consumer and government, the Consumer Forum demanded.

A day prior to the public hearing on power tariff hike here tomorrow, a CLPF delegation met Naba Kumar Das, the newly appointed Chairman of the Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission, to put forward their demand.

The Forum's chief coordinator Ajoy Hazarika questioned why the state-run Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) and its successor companies kept the state government away from the practice of serving monthly energy consumption bills as it did to its over 25 lakh non-state government consumers.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hazarika, who is also secretary of the Federation of North Eastern Consumer Organisations, asked why the power supply companies remained content by accepting lump sum amounts without calculating the actual consumption of power by the government connections.

"If the Railways can be served with monthly energy bills against each and every connection throughout the state, why the state government connections cannot be billed regularly on actual consumption of power. ASEB and its successor companies is serving its master at the cost of the general consumer by accepting fixed monthly amount against unfettered/unmeasured consumption of power by the government resulting in heavy loss on sale of power", he asserted.

This has resulted in various government departments and organisations owing Rs 58.27 Core as power tariff, he said.

"During the last few years the state government's consumption has shot up many times due to its various infrastructural expansion and the new electrical equipments, gadgets etc, it uses", advocate Hazarika pointed out.

PTI