By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 27: The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) on Wednesday launched an awareness campaign by distributing pamphlets to residents of Shillong, Jowai and Sohra, expressing their strong opposition to the recent electricity tariff hike.
The Meghalaya State Electricity Regulatory Commission (MSERC) on October 24 had issued a tariff order for 2024-2025, effective retroactively from 1st April 2024.
Criticising the move, particularly the retroactive billing for electricity already paid since April, HITO termed it unfair to domestic consumers.
According to HITO, the new tariff disproportionately burdens domestic consumers while easing costs for Commercial and Industrial High Tension users.
The group called for the temporary suspension of the tariff order until the government provides clarity on subsidies to domestic consumers under Section 65 of the Indian Electricity Act, 2003.
As per the order, domestic consumers using less than 200 units are required to pay additional charges in their current bills, spread over nine equal instalments starting December 2024.
HITO argued that this retroactive billing is unjust and places undue strain on low-consumption households.
The organisation urged the government to invoke Section 65, which enables subsidies for domestic consumers, to alleviate the financial burden on households. They also demanded transparency regarding the state’s position on implementing these subsidies.