Jharkhand power tariff hiked by 6.12 pc, urban households to pay Rs 7.40 per unit

Ranchi, March 25 (IANS) Electricity tariffs in Jharkhand have been increased by an average of 6.12 per cent, with urban domestic consumers set to pay Rs 7.40 per unit under the revised rates.

The new tariff was announced by the Jharkhand State Electricity Regulatory Commission on Wednesday and will come into effect from April 1, remaining valid till March 31, 2027.

As per the revised structure, urban domestic tariffs have risen from Rs 6.85 to Rs 7.40 per unit, while rural domestic consumers will now pay Rs 7.20 per unit, up from Rs 6.70.

Despite the hike, the Commission has kept fixed meter charges unchanged across all categories, offering partial relief to consumers.

The Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited had proposed a steep hike of up to 59 per cent. However, after conducting public hearings across the state’s five divisions, the Commission approved a more moderate increase, with tariffs across categories rising by 50 paise to 80 paise per unit.

For commercial users, urban rates have been increased from Rs 6.70 to Rs 7.30 per unit, while rural commercial tariffs now stand at Rs 6.70, up from Rs 6.20. Industrial Low Tension (LT) consumers will pay Rs 6.60 per unit compared to Rs 6.10 earlier, while other industrial units will be charged Rs 6.40 per unit, up from Rs 5.90.

For High Tension (HT) domestic consumers, tariffs have been raised from Rs 6.40 to Rs 7.20 per unit. Street lighting charges have also gone up to Rs 7.60 per unit from Rs 7.00. Marginal increases have been applied to ‘Special Services’ and ‘Other’ categories as well.

The Commission has retained incentives for consumers, including a rebate of up to 2 per cent for timely bill payments. Consumers using prepaid meters will get an additional 3 per cent rebate on energy charges, along with a refund of their security deposit.

No increase has been announced for agricultural consumers. In a move to encourage electric vehicle adoption, the tariff for EV charging during solar hours has been reduced from Rs 7.31 to Rs 7 per unit.

Officials noted that while tariff revisions are routine, the latest hike has been kept relatively moderate compared to earlier proposals.

--IANS

snc/skp/dan