In a decision aimed to provide relief to power consumers and farmers, the Uttarakhand Government has decided to waive off the penalty on bills of private tube- well connections. The government has also ordered the Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) not to disconnect any power connection till June 30. On Tuesday the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat gave orders to provide relief to the power consumers.

The decision to provide waiver in penalty in bill of private tube well owners is expected to benefit an estimated 20000 farmers in the state. The State Government would provide Rs 3.64 Crore to the corporation as compensation for the measure. The government also gave relief to the consumers of commercial and industrial categories by suspending the fixed and demand charges of the period between March 2020 to May 2020.

The UPCL would also waive of late payment penalty for these 2.70 Lakh consumers. An estimated financial burden of Rs 8 Crore for this step would be carried by the Government,

On the directive of state government, the UPCL has decided to provide a relief to all power consumers. The corporation would provide a 1 percent discount on the bill amount to the consumers opting for timely online payments. This discount would be maximum of Rs 1 Lakh on HT consumers and Rs 10000 for LT consumers. A total of 25 lakh consumers would be benefited by the measure which is expected to burden UPCL of Rs 2 Crore per month. In the broader interest of all consumers the CM has also directed the UPCL not to disconnect any power connection till June 30.