Many individuals and families living in rented accommodations across Himachal Pradesh have received unusually high electricity bills this May after the state government restricted power subsidies to only two electricity meters linked to a single ration card. The move has particularly affected tenants, who are now being billed at full tariff rates while landlords continue to avail subsidies on the meters used by their own households.
Under the existing subsidy scheme for domestic consumers, households consuming up to 125 units per month are exempt from paying electricity charges. Consumers crossing the 125-unit mark, however, receive subsidies on two consumption slabs — 0 to 125 units and 125 to 300 units. In the first slab, the government provides a subsidy of Rs 3.37 per unit against the full tariff of Rs 5.44 per unit. For consumption between 125 and 300 units, the subsidy is Rs 1.72 per unit against the tariff of Rs 5.89 per unit. No subsidy is available for consumption beyond 300 units.
HPSEBL Managing Director Aditya Negi said the subsidy was not being extended beyond two meters linked to a ration card and billing on additional meters was being done according to the tariff approved by the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Officials in the electricity board admitted that the impact of the decision could be substantial for many consumers. An official said that a household consuming around 600 units a month could see its bill rise by nearly Rs 700 due to the withdrawal of subsidies.
Meanwhile, the recent KYC exercise conducted by the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited has also triggered widespread complaints. Several consumers alleged that incorrect meter details had been linked to their names, resulting in bills being issued for meters they do not own.
Negi acknowledged that complaints regarding faulty KYC data were being received and advised consumers to approach subdivision offices or use the department’s website for corrections. Field officials, however, claimed that errors occurred because staff were not given adequate time to complete the verification exercise properly.
