BMRCL opposes hike in power tariff

BANGALORE: Nearly six months after Bangalore’s Metro commenced operations, not all is well with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). Operating on a stretch of 6.7 km, BMRCL is “just able to break even” with its every day earnings. This was stated by BMRCL’s counsel at a hearing in front of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) pertaining to a hike in power tariffs. “On weekdays we have 22,000 passengers. Our passenger load factor today stands at 10 per cent,” said BMRCL company secretary, Anil Shedbal, while presenting objections against a hike in power tariffs. The passenger load factor is a measure of the amount of utilisation of the total capacity of a vehicle. According to the BMRCL figures, on completion of 150 days of revenue earning on March 17 this year, their earnings stood at `5.83 crore with a passenger count of 39.30 lakh. Shedbal also asked for a concessionary power tariff to be given to BMRCL till December 2013, when according to him, Metro rail would be operational on a 42-km stretch with an estimated passenger count of 10 lakh per day. “Power purchase today constitutes 25-30 per cent of our expenses. Give us consideration. When we grow then consider higher rates,” he stated in front of the KERC. Speaking to Express, BMRCL spokesperson B L Chavan said, “Providing power at no profit or loss rates was the commitment given to BMRCL by the state government. It is stated in the detailed project report (DPR).” He added that since Metro was performing a socioeconomic function, provision of power at reduced tariffs must be considered. BMRCL has not started paying off its loans which were taken for Reach 1, built at a cost of over `1,500-crore and shared between the Central and state governments. BESCOM figures show that the energy utility currently supplies 7.2 lakh units per month to BMRCL and their sanctioned load is 9,000 kVA.“The actual load from BMRCL is close to 1,400 kVA and we have asked for the sanctioned load to be brought down to 4,500 kVA for now,” said a BESCOM official, indicating  that Metro was utilising only a small per cent of the load sanctioned to it.