Day One of a two-day public hearing by the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), to decide the power tariff for the financial year 2022-23, on Thursday saw the participation of at least 20 residents’ welfare associations (RWAs), which unanimously urged the power regulator to get the Delhi government to start contributing at least 50% of the pension surcharge that is currently levied on every monthly electricity bill.
Many, including those belonging to affluent colonies, also said they will not opt out of the power subsidy scheme, which chief minister Arvind Kejriwal made optional last week, with the proposed change coming into effect from October 1.
A pension trust surcharge of 7% is a fixed component on every electricity bill and the money thus collected from consumers is meant for paying the pensions of employees who retired from the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB), which was the sole discom in Delhi before the privatisation of the power sector.
