New Delhi: Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit
Wednesday said she was not in favour of increasing electricity
charges at the moment.
Her comments came a day after she issued directives
to the city`s power regulator DERC to keep the power tariffs
at the existing level.
"We will hold the meeting with the discoms as well
DERC soon to review the situation. But I feel that the power
tariff should not be increased at the moment," Dikshit told
reporters at a function here.
Dikshit`s statement has put at rest speculation that a
power hike was in the offing following demands from the three
power discoms who had pointed that their revenue gaps have
accumulated beyond sustainable levels and they were running in
losses.
Dikshit too had recently said that Delhiites were rich
enough to shell out money to pay more power tariff.
However, sources point that discoms` audit shows that
they have been making healthy profits.
Dikshit`s direction to the DERC not to increase
power tariff also hinges on the assumption that the discoms
were making profits by selling power to the other states.
DERC will submit its response to the government soon
after taking into account the discoms own audit reports.
On the power situation in the city, Dikshit said there
was no shortage of electricity as such.
"Infrastructure is being upgraded. Shortage have been
felt sometimes only where is sharp increase in the demand and
some problem in the Northern grid. We have also faced problems
due to the overdrawing of power from the neighbouring stage,"
she said.
The problems are being sorted out, the Chief Minister
added.
PTI
