Guwahati: The decrease in power tariff, announced by the Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC) after a decade, is set to benefit consumers across the board.

According to the revised tariff fixed by the commission and to be levied by the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCl) from April 1, energy charges will be decreased by 10 paise to 50 paise while fixed charges have been marginally hiked, leading to an overall decrease of 2 per cent or 14 paise per unit over the existing tariff.

The revised tariff will decrease energy charges for domestic consumers with consumption of above 100 units per month, resulting in savings of at least Rs 14 in the monthly power bill. Domestic consumers in the city can look forward to saving at least Rs 40 to Rs 50 per month on the bill.

APDCL officials, however, have expressed disappointment as the fall in tariff will mean less revenue collection and said government assistance may be required to tide over any financial crunch.

The fixed charges have been increased by Rs 10 to Rs 20 per kW per month across different segments of consumers, except for temporary connections and big consumers like industries. Industries like tea, coffee, rubber, oil and coal will also benefit from the 30 paise decrease per unit in energy charges.

APDCL sources, however, said the decrease will not benefit Jeevan Dhara (BPL) and domestic consumers with consumption of 50 to 100 units per month, as the increased fixed charges will negate the decrease in tariff.

Domestic consumers account for around 40 lakh APDCL connections in the state, including nearly 10 lakh Jeevan Dhara consumers. Another 27 lakh connections are planned to be added under the Saubhagya scheme of the central government by December 31 this year, according to the APDCL.

The Federation of Industry and Commerce of North Eastern Region (Finer), while welcoming the announcement by the AERC, maintained that this is the first time in the past decade that the charges on electricity have been reduced, benefiting both consumers and the power utility.

Finer president Pabitra Buragohain said, "In the wake of Advantage Assam, when the state is poised to take a leap in industrial activities and entrepreneurship development, reduction of tariff for all power consumers is going to play a major role in executing the summit objectives and give the required push. This is a welcome move for commerce, industry and society."