Guwahati, 2nd October: The Chief Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, refuted media reports of an increase in energy costs on Sunday, calling them false and claiming that the current tariff rates for up to 300 units had not changed.
However, additional electricity charges will be applied for consumption above 300 units up to 500 units, with an increase of 0.20 paise per unit. For consumers, mainly government offices, using more than 500 units, the charge will be Rs 0.99 paise per unit.
Commercial and other industrial consumers will be charged Rs 0.59 paise per unit, according to the new Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) notification.
For smart pre-paid consumers, the Fuel and Power Purchase Price (FPPPA) for energy consumed in September 2023 will be charged over 92 days as daily installments from October 1 to December 31, 2023.
The FPPPA charge for the month of September 2023 against the unit consumed will be recovered in three months, according to a top APDCL official. We won’t be able to pay you the money right away; it will take 92 days.
The official also noted that the new FPPPA rates fixed by the Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC) would apply from October 1, 2023, for energy consumed during September 2023.
For other conventional prepaid consumers, the FPPPA will be applied prospectively. The notification also stated that any adjustment for short/excess recovery due to seasonal consumption variations within the stipulated period would be adjusted in subsequent periods or as directed by the competent authority.
It should be noted that earlier, the APDCL had issued a notification stating that consumers using up to 300 units would be charged 30 paise per unit, while consumption between 301 and 500 units would see an increase of 50 paise per unit. Consumption over 500 units would incur a significant increase of Rs 1.29 per unit.