Bengaluru, June 18: The Karnatak Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCC&I), the state's apex business body, called for a bandh on June 22 to protest the unusual price hike in electricity charges.
Reacting to the news, B R Patil, the MLA from Yatnal, said "In couple of years there will be exodus of industries from Karnataka to neighbouring states if government doesn’t consider the demands of the Industries."
Many in Bengaluru have already been left reeling in wake of the surge, with some complaining that their bill had increased by 50 per cent and others saying it had nearly doubled.
Bescom defended the increase, in a statement, saying that it was part of the approved revision by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), and they were collecting arrears.
"Previously, there were three billing slabs. The first 50 units were charged at Rs 4.15 per unit, the next 50 units at Rs 5.6 per unit, and beyond that, Rs 7.15 per unit was collected. However, under the new tariff system, consumers are billed Rs 4.75 per unit for the first 100 units. If consumption exceeds 100 units, they are charged a flat Rs 7 per unit," a senior Bescom official explained.
A KERC order issued on May 12, when there was still BJP government in Karnataka, reveals power tariff was revised upwards by an average 70 paisa per unit for all household connections. The order was enforced in June with retrospective effect from April. Incidentally, assembly elections were held on May 10 and votes counted on May 13.
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