The electricity bills for domestic consumers in Delhi have surged by 6-8% following a revision of the power purchase adjustment charge (PPAC) by the city's discoms. While this hike impacts regular consumers, those receiving subsidies remain unaffected, according to officials.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticized the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, accusing it of collusion with the discoms. Meanwhile, Atishi, Delhi?s power minister and AAP leader, rebutted these claims, accusing the BJP of spreading misinformation.

The PPAC, which reflects the cost of purchasing power, has been revised between 6.75% and 8.75%. The increase was attributed to rising coal and fuel prices, as explained by officials.

This revision, implemented since February, became a contentious issue during a BJP press conference on Wednesday. However, discoms such as BSES's BYPL and BRPL, TPDDL, and NDMC, have yet to comment on the hike.

Atishi clarified that according to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), the current PPAC rates will remain unchanged, and justified the revision under provisions of the Electricity Act 2003. This Act allows discoms to adjust the PPAC by up to 10% in response to high power purchase costs.

In summer, power procurement from the Electricity Exchange increases due to higher demand, often resulting in a higher PPAC. The Ministry of Power mandates state regulatory commissions to ensure the automatic passthrough of fuel and power procurement costs, but Delhi follows a verification and approval process by DERC.

Despite these assurances, Delhi BJP leaders claim the AAP government supports discoms in unfairly raising PPAC, resulting in higher bills for consumers. Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva criticized the Kejriwal government for not planning the summer power supply in advance.

Delhi offers free electricity to consumers using up to 200 units monthly and a 50% subsidy for 201-400 units. Consumers using over 400 units receive no subsidy.

Senior BJP leader Arvinder Singh Lovely shared that his electricity bill increased by over ?4000 due to PPAC, highlighting the financial burden on consumers.

Atishi countered by pointing out that states ruled by the BJP have higher electricity costs and frequent power outages, unlike Delhi under the Kejriwal administration, which provides uninterrupted free electricity.

As the debate continues, the impact of the PPAC revision on Delhi?s electricity bills remains a significant concern for its residents.