Residents of Assam have been hit by price hike again as the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) has decided to hike per unit rates of electricity.

According to reports, APDCL has decided to charge additional Rs 0.79 per unit in another electricity rate hike.

However, the hiked rates will remain effective for three month duration from December to February.

It has come to the fore that the hike in rate has been announced to cover the cost of fuel and energy purchases.

This comes after APDCL had in September accepted that there were discrepancies in monthly electricity dues of customers, saying that minor anomalies were there for a while, but this time it became apparent.

Addressing the media at Bijulee Bhawan in Guwahati, APDCL Customer Relations Advisor Abhijit Sarma Barua had said that the company was prepared to take customer complaints in that regard.

The power distribution company further urged customers to come forward register their complaints if they are finding anomalies in their bills.

Taking questions, the senior official mentioned that there could be several reasons behind the sudden hike in monthly dues some of which may be the excessive use of fans and Air Conditioners (ACs) during the summer months, fault in the meter readings and so on.

He further admitted to lapse on the part of the company employees saying that some employees make bills by taking estimation, without taking actual readings from the meter boxes.

Barua said, “The monthly bills of even our own employees have risen by around 10 per cent. The foremost reason for this hike is the excessive use of ACs during the summer months. The increase in general electricity tariff is due to excessive energy consumption.”

He said, “Considering hike in fuel prices for the Fuel and Power Purchase Price Adjustment (FPPPA), since September, there has been a hike of 30 paise per unit, which means without the discretion of customers, there has been a slight hike in electricity tariff.”