Chandrababu’s Silent Blow

• Change of slab basing on the previous year’s bill
• Burden on the poor and the middle class
• Chandrababu-style imposition of charges

This summer will not only burn you with its high temperatures, but also shock you with sudden hike of charges. It is common for a household to use electric appliances like fans and air conditioners for more time in summer. Most of the households have people staying home for vacation and this may encourage them to watch TV for a longer time. The sweaty weather may demand the washing machine to run more often. All these appliances are to together shock you when the power bill arrives.

Do you wonder why? The state Government is not only indifferent to the betterment of its people’s lives, but also unconcerned towards their general well-being. It got ready to put the burden of charge hike on its people yet again. The recently announced budget has been decorated with the new tariff plan at the cost of discomfort of the common man.

Until now, the electricity charges were applied per unit. But now the system has changed. The previous year’s power usage is being taken as criterion. Consumers using at least one unit more than 900 will fall into B category. This means, however small their usage in this year may be, they will fall under the next slab.

A simple example..

If a consumer who is in B category this year uses 75 units in a month, Rs.2.60 will be charged per unit, resulting in a payment of Rs.195. If the old procedure was followed, he might have paid Rs.1.45 for the first 50 units and Rs.2.60 per unit for the remaining 25 units, ultimately having to pay Rs.137.50. By following the new system, he will pay Rs.57.50 extra for the same 75 units of consumption. There may be some people who take the Rs.50 easy. But the professionals who are dependent on electricity like carpenters, mechanics of TV, fan, mixer and cell phone, electricians and welders will have to face the huge burden of electric charges.

Use of electricity is inevitable

In the present society, even the poorest of the poor families live in a tiny house with at least 2 light bulbs being used. Minimum usage of the bulbs for five hours will mean at least 9 units’ consumption in a month. Using 2 fans for only 10 hours a day will mean 15 units’ usage in a month. Using fridge for just 10 hours will consume 30 units. Watching TV for 10 hours in a day will take 46 units of power by the end of the month. This way, there will be 100 units of consumption monthly. If 75 units’ consumption exceeds, the power bill will double and the consumers will be victims to it. Primarily, middle class and lower class people are target to this shock.

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