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Power tariff hike to be rolled back
CHANDIGARH:

The Punjab Council of Ministers on Saturday approved the rollback of the power tariff hike and decided that the Punjab State Electricity Board will adjust the enhanced amount in bills to be issued to consumers from April to September. The Cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The Cabinet said the con- sumers who paid enhanced tar- iff bills from April, 2009 to September, 2009 will get relief as PSEB will deduct the enhanced amount in the bills to be delivered from April to September this year.
The rollback would benefit nearly 46 lakh domestic and 1.12 lakh commercial electric- ity consumers in the state. The government will have to bear an additional burden of Rs 584.34 crore on account of the tariff hike by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) on September 8 last year.

Immediately after the hike, Akali Dal's coalition party BJP had put pressure on the gov- ernment to roll it back.

The government, after much dithering, agreed but had not been implementing it. On Saturday, it finally moved.
Keeping in view the short- age of power during summer months, the Cabinet also approved the increase in the short-term loan PSEB could raise to purchase electricity from various sources to meet the demand.

PSEB can raise a maximum of Rs 5,819 crore during spe- cific months when the demand for power goes high. The Cabinet also gave approval to exempt PSEB from the guar- antee fee it has to pay to the state government before rais- ing the loan from the market.