Dismissing speculation about likely increase in electricity rates in the city from April, Power Minister Ashish Sood on Monday said the Delhi government will not let consumers bear the cost of “misgovernance” under the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
“The government is prepared to make budgetary allocations and challenge the DERC (Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission) in court if needed,” Mr. Sood told The Hindu.
The speculation stems from the DERC’s decision to issue an order to the government to communicate a change in tariffs to recover accumulated regulatory assets. According to a DERC official, the city’s power regulator is yet to issue the order.
As per government data, the total regulatory assets of Delhi’s three private discoms – BRPL, BYPL and TPDDL – from 2006-2026 amount to ₹38,552 crore.
The DERC had informed the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity in January that the outstanding amount includes ₹19,174 crore for BRPL, ₹12,333 crore for BYPL, and ₹7,046 crore for TPDDL. The DERC official said this increase is owing to the piling up of interest following delay in recovery of dues. However, the Minister attributed this rise to “corrupt underhand dealings of the AAP government and discoms”.
