Patna: Whether electricity will become costlier in Bihar remains undecided for now. The Bihar Electricity Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Thursday reserved its order on the power tariff proposal after concluding the final public hearing. The decision will be announced in March and will come into effect from April 1, 2026.
During the hearing, consumers strongly opposed the power company’s proposal to increase tariffs. The Commission — chaired by Amir Subhani with members Parshuram Singh Yadav and Arun Kumar Sinha — heard arguments from both the electricity distribution companies and members of the public.
Several consumers questioned why tariff hikes were being proposed when the power company has been making profits for the past three years. “Instead of increasing rates, they should be reduced,” said Pramod Kumar of the Vaishali Electricity Consumers Association. He urged the Commission to take a decision only after closely examining power purchase costs, transmission charges and system losses.
Santosh Kumar from Balha–Mansi in Khagaria demanded withdrawal of penalties imposed on shops that were included in municipal councils without changing their consumer category.
Consumers Raise Sector-Specific Issues
Govind Kumar pointed out that mushroom growers across the country are given agricultural-category power connections, but in Bihar the absence of a clear category is preventing agriculture-based industries from growing. Tarkeshwar Prasad said farmers in Samastipur, Sitamarhi and Vaishali want to start small agri-based units, but are unable to do so due to lack of agricultural connections.
Anil Kamal said heavy penalties imposed on small entrepreneurs by the power company are forcing them to shut down their businesses. Chandrama Jeet Prasad from Raghopur Diara said that despite fields remaining submerged in floods for four months, farmers continue to receive electricity bills of ₹1,000 per month. Divyanshu said Bihar does not yet have a separate category for EV charging, unlike Maharashtra and several other states.
Industries Shifting to Bengal, Jharkhand Borders
O.P. Singh of the Bihar Gas Manufacturers Association said electricity rates in Bihar are higher than in West Bengal and Jharkhand. He added that fixed charges in Bihar are five times higher than in West Bengal and double those in Jharkhand. As a result, industries are setting up units in border areas of Jharkhand and West Bengal instead of Bihar.
AKP Sinha of the Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industries demanded assured power supply for industrial units and said surplus power should be offered to industries at cheaper rates instead of being surrendered.
Impact of Single-Slab Proposal
If slabs are merged into one, urban domestic consumers may benefit. At present, the first slab is ₹7.42 per unit and the second ₹8.95 per unit. The proposed single slab rate is ₹7.77 per unit. After consuming 125 units of free electricity, the remaining units would be cheaper by ₹1.18 per unit.
For urban commercial consumers, the current slabs are ₹7.73 and ₹8.93 per unit. Under the proposed single slab of ₹8.08 per unit, consumption above 100 units would be cheaper by 85 paise per unit.
For rural commercial consumers, the slabs of ₹7.79 and ₹8.21 per unit would be merged into a single slab of ₹8.14 per unit, reducing the rate by 7 paise per unit for consumption above 100 units.
Subsidy Key to Keeping Power Cheaper
Officials said electricity will become costlier across all categories, including rural domestic consumers, unless government subsidies are increased. At present, the state government is providing ₹3,797 crore as subsidy to offer 125 units of free power to 1.86 crore domestic consumers. Earlier, ₹15,995 crore was provided to reduce tariffs across all categories.
The power companies have proposed:
- A 35 paise per unit increase for all consumer categories
- Merging slabs for DS-2, NDS-1 and NDS-2 categories
- Reducing fixed charges for NDS-2 consumers up to 0.5 kW from ₹200 to ₹150 per month
The Commission will issue its final tariff order in March, which will determine whether electricity bills in Bihar rise or fall from April 2026.
