The industrial consumers under the command area of Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) are in a spot over a sudden spike in electricity bills owing to demand for arrears being levied by the utility from June, an industrial association official said on Tuesday. He said that the demand varies between ₹30 lakh and ₹90 crore, depending on the size of factories and the industry in which they operate.
DVC officials said they received a revision in tariff from the state electricity regulatory commission in May following a court order and it is applicable from June.
“We have informed our consumers about the development,” a DVC official said.
“DVC has said it will collect the arrears for a period from April 2017 till now in eight monthly instalments starting this June. But the sudden and huge arrear demand is a major shock for small and medium enterprises,” Steel Rolling Mills Association chairman Vivek Adukia told PTI.
Adukia said the average per unit rise is about 50 paise, but the multi-year arrear recovery in such a short span is a huge burden on the industry.
“We are planning to contest this demand at an appropriate forum,” he said.
Most of the DVC consumers are industrial and commercial ones.
