Tariff for domestic users up by Rs1.91

ISLAMABAD: Besides a two per cent across-the-board surcharge on all electricity consumers, tariff for middle-class domestic consumers has gone up by up to 44 per cent (Rs1.91 per unit) and fixed charges for consumer in other categories have increased by up to 98 per cent with effect from March 15.

Last week the government announced a two per cent additional surcharge for all consumers of nine distribution companies of Wapda and the Karachi Electric Supply Company without disclosing a substantial increase in domestic electricity rates and fixed charges for all other categories, including agricultural tubewells.

However, a notification issued by the water and power ministry reveals that even lifeline consumers who consume less than 50 units a month will have to bear an additional burden of about seven per cent or 13 paisa per unit. According to the notification, the tariff for the first 50 units has been increased to Rs2 per unit from Rs1.87. About 700,000 consumers in the Wapda system are in this category.The lifeline and domestic consumers using less than 300 units a month will not be affected by the two per cent surcharge.About 10 million consumers use less than 300 units per month.According to the notification, tariff for domestic consumers in the first slab of 1-100 units per month has been increased by 44 per cent to Rs6.27 per unit from Rs4.36. About three million consumers in the Wapda system are in this category. The electricity rate for 101-300 units has been jacked up to Rs7.20 per unit from Rs6.60, an increase of 9.1 per cent. About six million consumers in the Wapda system fall under this slab.The domestic consumers using 301-700 and more than 700 units a month will continue be charged at the existing rates of R10.65 and Rs13.30 per unit, respectively, but they will have to pay an additional 22 paisa and 27 paisa per unit because of the two per cent surcharge.The fixed charges for consumers in Azad Kashmir have been increased by 11.5 per cent to Rs360 per kilowatt from Rs323.They will also bear a Rs2.44 per unit higher electricity cost (58 per cent increase) to Rs6.65 per unit and then the two per cent surcharge. Effectively, tariff for AJK will go up by more than 65 per cent.

COMMERCIAL CONSUMERS: Fixed monthly charges for general supply or commercial consumers have been quietly increased by 13.3 per cent (Rs47 per kw) to Rs400 from Rs353, in addition to the two per cent surcharge on variable per unit cost which will separately increase by 26 paisa per unit for sanctioned load of less than five kilowatts and 16 paisa for 5kw and above.

INDUSTRIAL CONSUMERS: Fixed monthly charges for industrial consumers (B-1 & B-2 categories) with sanctioned load of up to 500kw have been increased by 13.3 per cent to Rs400 per month. The fixed charges for B-3 consumers with sanctioned load of up to 5000kw (at 11.33kilovolt line) have been raised by 11 per cent to Rs380/kw per month from Rs342.The fixed charges for B-4 consumers with all loads at 66,132kv and above lines have been increased by 9.5 per cent to Rs360/kw per month from Rs329. All industrial consumers will also be charged two per cent additional surcharge on every unit of electricity consumed by them.

AGRICULTURAL CONSUMERS: Fixed monthly charges for SCARP and other agricultural tubewells with less than 5kw load have been increased by a massive 98 per cent to Rs200 per kw from Rs101. The fixed rates for all SCARP and other agricultural consumers of more than 5kw load will remain unchanged. However, all these categories will be subject to the two per cent surcharge, increasing their per unit price by up to 19 paisa per unit.