LUCKNOW, July 9 -- The Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) will start public hearings on the proposed power tariff hike for the current fiscal, from Kanpur on Wednesday (July 9). These hearings, part of the mandatory consultation process before the annual tariff order, will continue across districts and are expected to culminate in the issuance of the final tariff order by August end. However, the hearings come against the backdrop of a growing controversy over the state government's proposal to privatise power distribution in 42 districts, under Varanasi and Agra discoms. The regulatory commission has refused to offer any opinion on the privatisation plan until the tariff process is completed. "The focus right now is on the tariff determination. Only after this process is over can any view on privatisation be taken," UPERC is believed to have told the officials who met the UPERC chairman Arvind Kumar on Monday evening. Critics say the move to privatise power distribution, especially in regions struggling with high distribution losses and poor recovery, was being rushed....