Bengaluru: Commercial and industrial consumers in Karnataka are staring at a double whammy on their monthly electricity bills, with Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) likely to revise the current tariff anywhere between 35 and 45 paise per unit.The fresh hike, according to sources in the energy sector, will kick in from April even as consumers continue to bear the burden of a recent revision by KERC, ranging from 10 to 95 paise for various categories, in the first week of March to help Escoms overcome revenue shortfall.Even though the likely revision is unlikely to pinch domestic consumers due to govt’s Gruha Jyothi scheme, the hike is set to burn a hole in the pockets for those not covered by it. The latest hike is expected to be rolled out after assembly bypolls scheduled for April 9.Pointing at revenue losses of close to 5,000 crore incurred during the fiscal, Escoms, in their annual performance review before KERC, had sought an average hike of 68 paise per unit. However, KERC, after holding public consultations over the past few weeks, is likely to allow revision of 35-45 paise per unit, according to sources.
