- By Aditya Jha
- Thu, 05 Dec 2024 04:28 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The residents of Karnataka may have to pay higher for the electricity in the recent future as the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) has sought a revision of power tariff citing financial pressures and its further ambitious projects. The Bescom has proposed to hike 67 paise per unit for 2025-26, 74 paise per unit for 2026-27, and 91 paise per unit for 2027-28.
In its first Multi-Year Tariff (MYT) application filed before the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), the Bescom stated that there is a surge in demand for power in Bengaluru and in the agriculture sector of the state. The tariff hike has been proposed based on the projected surge in demand in the upcoming years.
“Besides domestic consumption, irrigation pump (IP) sets are our biggest consumers, and the demand might go up any time in both sectors. Hence, we have proposed an average increase of these amounts for the next three years,” the Hindu reported, citing sources.
The Bescom petition also stated that tariff revision was required for the support pension for employees of the board. KERC is expected to announce the final tariff revision by March 2025 after consulting stakeholders, escoms and citizen groups. Apart from household requirements and agricultural purposes, the surge in demand for electricity is because of the focus on medium- and small-scale industries, along with commercial establishments that have come up recently.
ALSO READ: Bengaluru-Chennai Vande Bharat Travel Time Reduced By 25 Minutes | Details
Bengaluru and nearby districts are transforming them into industrial hubs, and more energy will be required in the upcoming years, the Times of India reported, citing an official. However, the revision in tariff is not expected to affect the budget of citizens like before, as almost 2 crore households are covered under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, and the Congress government, led by Siddaramaiah, is likely to bear their burden in the form of subsidy.