Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved a special audit of power companies to look into the ‘pension surcharge’ levied in electricity tariff of consumers of the national capital.
Photo: Delhi LG Vinai Kumar Saxena
Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has approved a special audit of power companies to look into the ‘pension surcharge’ levied in electricity tariff of consumers of the national capital.
It will help to track the actual pension surcharge collected by DISCOMs from consumers and transferred to Pension Trust. DISCOMs levy a pension surcharge of seven per cent in monthly electricity bills of consumers in Delhi.
The main objective of this special audit is to track funds collected as pension surcharge from consumers and ensure that they are being properly utilised for the funding of pensions and related benefits for the retired employees of the Delhi Vidyut Board (DVB), said the LG office on Tuesday.
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“A difference of more than Rs 1,100 crore was found in funds allocated by DERC and collected by DISCOMs for Pension Trust during the last seven years. During Financial year 2022-23, an amount of Rs 1,520 crore was received by the Pension Trust from DISCOMs in the form of pension surcharge against a demand of Rs 1930 crore,” it said.
Saxena gave the directions in larger public interests for conducting special audit under Section 108 of the Electricity Act, 2003. The special audit of DISCOMS will be conducted for the financial years 2017-18 to 2023-24 through CAG empanelled external auditors, it said.
It may be mentioned that the Pension Trust was established as a part of Transfer Scheme Rules, 2001, framed under Delhi Electricity Reforms Act, 2000 and the tripartite agreement between Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, Delhi Vidyut Board and Joint Action Committee of Workers, Engineers and Officers of Delhi Vidyut Board.
Later in 2010, the Supreme Court in a judgment had ruled that any liability towards DVB employees and existing pensioners are the responsibility and liability of the successor utility or employer, i.e. DISCOMs, DTL, etc.
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