Agartala, Aug 11: Minister for Power Ratan Lal Nath on Tuesday clearly stated that the state government has no role in fixing the power tariffs. He also said, the state government is aware of the issues related to electricity bills and will take positive steps for the benefit of electricity consumers in the coming days.

Addressing a press conference at the secretariat, Nath admitted reports of dissatisfaction among electricity consumers in the state regarding power tariffs.

Explaining the process of electricity tariff determination, the Power Minister said that the Tripura Electricity Regulatory Commission (TERC) fixes electricity tariffs. It is an independent body. Before determining tariffs, the Commission publishes detailed notifications in media. Based on suggestions, demands, or objections received from individuals and organizations, the Commission considers changes related to electricity tariffs and then sends its recommendations to the Power Corporation for final implementation, according to a government press release.

The Power Corporation prepares the final electricity bill by adding fixed charges, Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment (FPPCA), and the tariff approved by the Commission. In this process, the state government has no role, he said.

The entire tariff determination mechanism is managed by the Commission and the Power Corporation. He added that the Power Corporation has been functioning under this system since 2008.

The Minister said that the state currently has 10.68 lakh electricity consumers. Of them, more than 4 lakh households have been provided with smart meters, while 1.64 lakh households have been equipped with prepaid meters.

The Power Minister also said that a meeting on the electricity bill issue was recently held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha.

He further stated that during the previous government’s tenure, a work order worth Rs. 80.07 crore was issued in 2015 for the installation of smart meters, with a completion deadline of two years.

However, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report covering the period from March 2015 to June 2022, none of the meters installed under that work order is currently functional.

The Power Minister also stated that officials at all levels of the department have been instructed not to collect electricity bills from consumers who have received abnormally high bills from May this year until a thorough investigation is completed.

“The government cannot be a silent spectator. Soon, we will sit again to solve the problem and see how to help the consumers,” he said.

Targeting the opposition, the Minister said that they are hatching a conspiracy by forgetting their past and confusing the people.

“In 2015, they had given a work order of Rs 80 crore 7 lakh 68 thousand to Wipro and M/s J and J Powercom System Limited. In the work order, it was said that within two years they would complete it. Even after two years, and even after 27 months, they supplied the items and symbolic work started. TSECL handed over the control to Wipro earlier. Out of 43,000 smart meters, only 34,300 are working. However, within a period of three months, these smart meters also stopped due to technical glitches,” said the Minister.

The Minister also pointed out a report of the Indian Audit and Accounts Department, which stated that financial irregularities on the part of the company not only resulted in infructuous expenditure of Rs 42.76 crore but also led to the extension of undue favour to the contractor.