Citizens in Andhra Pradesh can heave a sigh of relief with the authorities announcing reducing the power charges, after being bogged down by rising bills for the last five years. The AP Transco announced Rs 1,059 True down, reduction in charges.
During the YCP government’s rule, from 2019 to 2024, the power and fuel prices witnessed a continuous rise relentlessly, burdening the people with true-up charges, by adjusting the FPPCA charges.
However, after the TDP coalition government assumed charge in 2024, there is talk of true down charges, when the tariff on power would be reduced.
After bifurcation of the state in 2014, when the TDP was voted to power for the first time too, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu directed the discoms to explore ways to reduce the power bills, without interrupting electricity supply.
According to the Power Commission, the EPDCL announced true down of Rs 383.84 crore, SPDCL of Rs 428.56 crore, CPDCL of Rs 247.35 crore.
The officials are contemplating if this amount would be adjusted in the consumers’ bills. The Power Commission could arrive at true down due to pandemic that impeded works in 2020. For two years, lockdown was implemented when workers were not available and development works were not carried out. This led to non-expenditure of the allocated amounts with the corporations. The Power Commission accepted to the Transco application of transferring the entire unexpended amount to the discoms.
The Andhra Pradesh public can really be happy for seeing a change from overburdening tax system to a government focused on relieving from extra expenditure.