Patna, May 12: People of the state are facing a double trouble. On one hand, they are not getting adequate electricity supply and on the other they have to bear the burden of rising electricity bills, thanks to the Bihar State Electricity Board’s (BSEB) policies.

The board has filed an aggregate revenue requirement (ARR) tariff petition with Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (Berc) — the body entrusted with the job of fixing electricity tariff rate for all kinds of consumers — with a proposal to double the electricity tariff rate to bridge its burgeoning revenue gap.

The board, which made an application for tariff revision for the fiscal 2011-12, has proposed just two slabs of 100 units for domestic and non-domestic consumers instead of the existing four-rate slabs.

At present, there are four slabs of 100 units each for both domestic and non-domestic consumers.

“We have prepared a proposal for a cent per cent hike in the tariff rate and also to slash the slabs to charge for the consumption of energy,” a senior board official said.

Asked how much the revenue board would get from the hike, if accepted by the Berc, a senior board official told The Telegraph: “If our proposal is accepted, then the board will get a revenue of Rs 3,500 crore annually from consumers alone. At present, the board gets Rs 2,100 crore on the basis of the existing rate, besides a financial support of Rs 1,080 crore from the state government.”

The revenue realised from the hike would make the board run on the basis of “no-loss-no-profit”, the officer said.

He added that the board is making a loss of Rs 125 to Rs 150 crore per month, at present.

The board had also filed an ARR-cum-tariff petition in July 2010 for the fiscal 2010-11, seeking a hike of about 20-25 per cent in the tariff rate across the board but the regulatory commission made a nominal increase of 5 paise per unit in December last year.

Feeling aggrieved with the commission’s order, the board approached the central electricity appellate tribunal, challenging the commission’s decision.

In the past five months, the consumers had to bear the brunt of higher electricity bills on account of fuel-surcharge and a nominal tariff hike.

In December last year, the board had imposed a surcharge of 69 paise per unit for nine months with retrospective effect from January 2009 to September 2009 on the ground that the National Thermal Power Corporation had hiked the rate because of an increase in the prices of coal, which is a fuel and a key component to run the thermal plant.

The board, in March this year, again imposed a fuel surcharge of 99 paise per unit for three months — December 2010, January and February 2011 — which would be paid by the consumers in three equal instalments.

After receiving the petition from the board, Berc, which has been fixing the tariff since 2006-07, has invited suggestions and objections from various stakeholders, such as domestic and commercial consumers, farmers and businessmen and others, on May 16 whereas railways, low tension and high tension consumers (industrial users) would put up their side of the argument on May 17.