Mumbai-ites may be fined for excess power usage

In a strong message to the citizens of Mumbai seeking government intervention to avoid load shedding, power regulator Maharastra Electricity Regulatory Commission has asked the city's electicity supplier Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport Undertaking to slap 100 per cent penalty on consumers using more than 300 units of power per month, if they do not reduce their power consumption.

In its decision over a tariff revision proposal submitted by the BEST, the MERC has given this direction.

The order released on Saturday said all residential and commercial consumers using more than 300 units per month and all industrial consumers will have to reduce their monthly consumption to a level of 80 per cent of their average corresponding monthly consumption in 2005.

It has also clarified that if the consumers fail to restrict their usage to the specified limit then they would be charged at an additional rate of 100 per cent of the highest tariff chargeable to the respective category for the consumption exceeding the prescribed limit of 80 per cent usage.

However, in a bid to motivate the consumers to avoid unnecessary power consumption, the regulator has said that any reduction in the monthly consumption below the 80 per cent limit, will be incentivised at the rate of 50 per cent of the normal chargeable rate in the monthly power bill of the consumer.