Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD Tuesday asked Odisha’s BJP government to intervene and ensure that Rs 7,145 crore “illegally collected” from around 1 crore power consumers in the name of “minimum charges” or “monthly minimum fixed charges” be refunded with the interest amount.
The issue was raised by BJD member Ganeswar Behera in the Assembly during the Zero Hour, and backed by party colleague Byomakesh Ray and Tusharkanti Behera.
“The distribution companies have been exploiting them and collected Rs 7,145 crore illegally, while the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) is a silent spectator,” Behera alleged.
The BJD members cited Section 62(6) of the Electricity Act, 2003, which mandates that if a licensee or a generating company charges more than the determined tariff, the excess amount must be refunded to the customer with interest.
This provision is made to protect consumers from overcharging and ensures that any excess revenue is returned to the person who paid it, with the addition of interest, they said.
Behera alleged that neither the state government nor the OERC is concerned over the “exploitation” of consumers in the state.
PTI
