Bhubaneswar, 2 December (H.S.): Biju Janata Dal (BJD) legislators on Tuesday urged the Odisha government to direct the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) to ensure that power distribution companies refund the excess charges collected from consumers over the past eight years, along with applicable interest.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour in the Assembly, BJD MLAs Ganeshwar Behera and Byomakesh Ray said that distribution companies had collected ₹7,415 crore more than the tariff approved by OERC, imposing an undue financial burden on nearly one crore consumers in the state. They emphasized that this excess amount must be returned with interest.

Behera noted that Odisha was the first state in India to implement electricity sector reforms, aimed at providing consumers uninterrupted, high-quality, and reasonably priced power. However, due to what he described as the “indifference” of the OERC, consumers have been unable to derive the intended benefits of these reforms.

He further pointed out that despite continuous overcharging by distribution companies for eight years, the OERC has not issued any directive instructing these companies to refund the excess amount, resulting in consumers not receiving their rightful dues. Behera termed this a grave injustice to the people of Odisha.

Citing the example of Andhra Pradesh, he said the state’s electricity regulatory commission had directed distribution companies to return the excess charges collected, following which consumers there are receiving the refunded amount in three instalments.

Echoing similar concerns, BJD MLA Byomkesh Ray also called for immediate intervention from the state government, urging it to direct the OERC to take strict action and ensure that the excess amount collected by distribution companies is refunded to consumers without delay.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda