Patna, March 30: Power consumers, already at the receiving end of the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB)’s decision to impose fuel surcharge on a regular basis, would have to shell out more money to foot their electricity bills.

The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (Berc) today approved an average increase of 12.1 per cent in the electricity tariff across the board against the board’s proposal for an up to 50 per cent raise.

The board had filed an aggregate revenue requirement tariff petition on November 15, 2011, with Berc, the body entrusted with the job of fixing electricity tariff, with a proposal to increase the rate by up to 50 per cent for different categories of electricity consumers to bridge its burgeoning revenue gap.

While rejecting the board’s proposal for 50 per cent increase, Berc chairman U.N. Panjiar said: “In order to avoid a sharp increase in the electricity tariff, the commission made a very moderate increase of about 12.1 per cent in overall tariff rates for all sections of the society. The hike would fetch Rs 348.06 crore to the board.” Panjiar was accompanied by member S.C. Jha.

The commission has called for an increase of between 10 paise and 20 paise per unit for urban domestic consumers in different slabs whereas there would be a nominal hike of five paise per unit in the upper slab for commercial users, the tariff order said.

But the moderate hike has not gone down well with the people. Sanjeev Choudhary and Sanjay Bharatiya, industrialists and members of Bihar Chamber of Commerce, said the commission should not have affected a hike of 12 per cent.

“Fifty paise per unit for industrial users is a big increase as we were not expecting any hike for industrial category. We are still paying higher than our neighbouring states and it would make our product less competitive,” they said.

Bihar Industries Association’s former vice-president Subhash K. Patwari said the tariff hike is a reasonable one but the only intriguing factor is the fuel surcharge, which has been adversely affecting everyone.

Agriculture, kutir jyoti and other rural power consumers would not have to pay extra, as the regulatory body said it fixed the tariff deducting a transmission and distribution loss of 27.5 per cent of the board’s total power purchase, against the board’s plea for allowing a loss of 41 per cent.

The commission allowed the board to charge 10 per cent premium on energy bills for providing close to 24 hours of supply to notified areas. It is up to the board to notify the areas in which it intends to supply power 24 hours but that should not be done at the cost of supply to other areas, the order said.

The power board, which intends to supply electricity 24 hours to Patna, Rajgir and Bodhgaya, would have to supply at least 600 hours in a month, excluding the duration of grid failure, plant failure of power supplier, scheduled shut down and emergency breakdown.

The commission, while hearing the board’s plea to increase the tariff, had sought suggestions and objections from all sections of the society, including domestic consumers, commercial users, farmers, industries and a host of other organisations.

Those seeking new connections in a quick span of time could get the facility under the newly introduced “tatkal connection”.