Rigorous penalty
To address the problem of power shortage in the coming summer, the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (merc) has decided to penalise power intensive consumers.
merc has directed all residential and commercial consumers consuming more than 300 units per month and all industrial consumers (irrespective of their level of consumption) within the Bombay Electric Supply and Transport Company License area, to reduce their monthly consumption by 20 per cent of their average monthly consumption in the past year. Failing which, they will have to pay an additional 100 per cent of the highest tariff chargeable to the respective category as part of the energy bill in that month.