India, June 17 -- New Delhi

Domestic and commercial power consumers in New Delhi areas are up in arms over the alleged "steep increase" in electricity surcharge, from around 15% last year to as much as around 50% this year through a series of hikes, which has led to increased power bills for consumption over the past two months.

They alleged that surcharge rates in areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) were much higher than the rates in other parts of the city. To be sure, HT on May 13 reported that DERC (Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission) has approved revised PPAC (power purchase adjustment cost) of 13.33% for BYPL, 13.54% for BRPL, and 19.22% for TPDDL.

PPAC is a surcharge added to electricity bills in Delhi to acc...