Your electricity bill can increase by 5 to 8 per cent

The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), the electricity company that supplies power to the entire state has proposed a tariff hike of 8 per cent for its low-end consumers (0-100 units) and a five per cent hike for consumers in the 101-300 units category.

On the other hand, MSEDCL has not proposed any hike for those in the 300-above 500 units category, for the financial year (FY) 2021. According to experts, the MSEDCL consumers between the 0-100 units consist of more than 50 per cent of electricity company's 2.20 crore consumer base across state.

Alongside, it has proposed to increase the tariff for below-the-poverty-line families, which include consumers in the 0-30 units category from the current ₹1.10 per kilowatt-hour (kwh) to ₹1.36/kwh in FY21 followed by a subsequent three per cent hike in FY22. It has also proposed an increase in tariff for industrial consumers by one per cent and Railways by three per cent.

Meanwhile, citizens can send their suggestions/objections on the five-year power tariff plan by February 4. After which, public hearings will be held in Pune, Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Nashik, and Amravati, between February 6 and 15.

The proposal will now be examined by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) which is expected to release its final order for power tariff for the next five years by March 2020.