5 months ago
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The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FKCCI) has requested the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) to cull the connection by ESCOMs to levy an further surcharge connected Open Access consumers, saying the connection has nary ineligible ground due to the fact that the mandatory regulations for governing specified a surcharge person not yet been framed.
The Open Access allows energy consumers to bargain powerfulness from immoderate root they choose, alternatively of lone from their section energy proviso companies similar Bescom.
In an affidavit filed connected Tuesday, FKCCI’s caput wide Lokaraj M. said the Karnataka High Court, successful December 2024, directed the KERC to framework circumstantial regulations for determining additional surcharge wrong six months. However, adjacent after nearly a year, no regulations person been notified.
The FKCCI said that without these rules, immoderate surcharge levy ‘lacks ineligible sanctity’ and cannot beryllium imposed connected consumers. The FKCCI, which represents more than 3,500 members and over 150 affiliated associations, said MSMEs crossed Karnataka would beryllium straight affected if ESCOMs’ petition were approved. A large interest highlighted by the FKCCI is that Bescom changed its surcharge magnitude midway.
The archetypal request is at ₹1.65 per unit, portion revised request is ₹0.58 per unit.
FKCCI president Uma Reddy said that this revised levy, without transparency oregon supporting documents, shows the connection is ‘arbitrary, unclear and unreliable’. She argued that surcharge determination indispensable travel a fixed regulatory method, not shifting numbers.
The FKCCI besides pointed retired that respective High Tension Open Access consumers person already challenged ESCOMs’ surcharge calculations successful the High Court. The situation is not against the instrumentality permitting surcharge, but against how ESCOMs compute it. The enclosure said that deciding the surcharge now, portion the substance is sub-judice, could create disorder and pb to conflicting orders, and truthful the KERC should hold for the High Court’s ruling.
Referring to the National Tariff Policy, the FKCCI said organisation companies tin levy an further surcharge lone if they intelligibly beryllium that Open Access consumers person caused stranded capacity power contracted by ESCOMs but lying unused.
The argumentation besides warns that surcharge should not beryllium utilized to discourage Open Access. The FKCCI said Bescom has failed to amusement immoderate specified stranded capacity, and the fluctuating surcharge magnitude itself shows the calculation is not based on clear evidence.
The FKCCI cited a cardinal judgement of the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) which says surcharge indispensable beryllium backed by wide and verifiable data, the ESCOMs indispensable provide voltage-wise stranded capableness and that stakeholders indispensable beryllium capable to verify the calculations.
According to the FKCCI, the Bescom has not shared immoderate specified information oregon its computation method, making the assertion incomplete and intolerable to verify.
The FKCCI asked the KERC to reject the Bescom’s connection for further surcharge, bid the Bescom to disclose voltage-wise stranded capableness data, guarantee that immoderate surcharge decision complies with the High Court’s directions, Tariff Policy, and APTEL judgement and issue any further orders indispensable to support user interest.
