Vijay Goel meets DERC chairman, demands roll back of fixed charge hike

Claiming six-fold increase in fixed charges of electricity in past four years in Delhi, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Goel met the chairman of power regulator DERC on Monday and demanded him to roll back the hike. Leading a delegation, Goel met the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission chairman, Justice (retired) SS Chauhan and complained about rising power bills of national capital residents.

"Fixed charges have been increased six-fold in the last four years. Agitation will be launched if the hike is not rolled back," Goel said after the meeting. He was accompanied by representatives of consumer bodies, including general secretary of United Residents of Delhi Saurabh Gandhi, Swaraj Foundation chairman Manoj Kumar Singhal and URD secretary BB Tiwari.

The electricity bills comprise two major components including fixed monthly charges and consumed unit charges. Goel also said the electricity bills of consumers have gone up due to the imposition of a surcharge of 3.8 per cent for a fund to pay pensions.