Delhi BJP to protest against hike in power tariff on Monday

The Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Sunday announced demonstrations across all 14 districts here to protest against the imposition of the Power Purchase Agreement Charges (PPAC) and other surcharges resulting in excessive electricity bills.

During a press conference, Sachdeva accused the Delhi government and electricity distribution companies of failing to pre-purchase electricity for peak summer and winter demands, forcing residents to bear the burden of these additional costs.

Calling for a judicial inquiry, Sachdeva claimed that the PPAC was not part of the approved Business Regulatory Plan for power distribution companies until 2015.

He alleged that its imposition is a result of corrupt practices between the Arvind Kejriwal government and power distribution companies.

During the press conference, Sachdeva released a copy of a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). He called for intervention on the issue of excessive PPAC, pension surcharges, meter charges, and load surcharges, which have collectively inflated consumers' electricity bills.

To protest against these charges, BJP workers will hold demonstrations at power distribution company offices across all districts of Delhi on Monday, Sachdeva said.

He also highlighted that since 2015, the PPAC has increased every summer and winter for the relevant quarter, but it has never been withdrawn after the quarter ends.

Starting at 1.5 per cent, the PPAC has now surged to nearly 45 per cent.
Speaking about the impact on the consumers, Sachdeva said that Delhi residents are facing dual hardships, enduring a humid monsoon following a long summer and being forced to pay steep electricity bills.

He noted that there has been significant public outcry over the bill amounts since April-May.

A study conducted by the BJP in collaboration with power charge experts and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) revealed that the PPAC has become a major burden for lower and upper-middle-class consumers.

"The 1.5 per cent PPAC was first levied illegally in 2011 by the then Congress government and was withdrawn in 2014 after intervention by then Power Minister Piyush Goyal.
"However, it was reintroduced in 2015 when the Kejriwal government came to power and supported its reimposition," Sachdeva said.

Sachdeva also alleged that the PPAC and similar surcharges, such as the pension surcharge, meter rent, and load surcharges, have also been abnormally increased, contributing significantly to the overall electricity bill for middle-class consumers.

The Delhi BJP has urged the DERC Chairman to investigate the imposition of these increased charges despite power distribution companies already being profitable at the current per-unit rates.