CHANDIGARH, Dec. 24 -- In a major relief to around 6,600 government employees living in official residences, the Ombudsman of the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) has stayed the levy of solar-user charges imposed on rooftop solar power plants installed on government houses in Chandigarh and ordered a refund of the amount already recovered through electricity bills over the past three years.

As per the existing billing mechanism, households with a 6-kilowatt rooftop solar plant were being charged Rs.3,000 for a two-month billing cycle. The charge was calculated at Rs.250 per kilowatt of sanctioned load per month. Residents of government houses located in Sectors 7, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27 and 39 were affected. The decisio...