The Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi, Anil Baijal, has approved the proposal put forward by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government regarding compensation for residents in case of unscheduled power cuts.

The proposal entails an hourly compensation of ₹100 (~$1.519) for unscheduled outages by distribution companies (DISCOMs) in the national capital, according to the Press Trust of India. The compensation earned by consumers will be adjusted against their monthly power bill.

This is good news for Delhi residents as the scorching heat has already led the temperatures soaring and power cuts have always been a matter of concern in the city, especially during the summer season.

With the LG’s approval, Delhi would become the first city in the country to have a policy to compensate consumers for unscheduled power cuts.

Approved proposal for issue of policy directions regarding payment of compensation to consumers in case of power failure @ArvindKejriwal and @SatyendarJain

— LG Delhi (@LtGovDelhi) April 19, 2018

There are three private power DISCOMs including the BSES companies BSES Yamuna Power Ltd (BYPL) and BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd (BRPL), and the Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) that supply power to the city, barring areas under the New Delhi Municipal Council and the Delhi Cantonment.

In case, the compensation is not paid to a consumer, the consumers can lodge a complaint with the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Authority (DERC).

The amount of compensation in such cases will be ₹5,000 (~$75.98) or five times of the compensation payable, whichever is higher, according to PTI.

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also lauded the decision to make the DISCOMs directly accountable to people.

This is a revolutionary and a v innovative policy of Delhi govt which will make DISCOMS directly accountable to people. https://t.co/XpkSzYCDMb

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) April 19, 2018

The Delhi government recently released its annual budget which also saw various schemes and reforms to improve the power economics of the national capital.

Moving along with India’s goal to expand its base of renewable energy, the government announced in the budget that it will purchase 1 GW of solar and wind power in the coming year. Moreover, in its budget for the financial year (FY) for 2018-19, the Delhi government also announced that 1,000 electric buses will soon be introduced in the national capital.

Taking up the union government’s cause to expand the use of green energy, Delhi’s major distribution company (DISCOM), BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd (BRPL), had recently launched an initiative called Solar City in the national capital. The initiative is designed to increase solar rooftop installations in the city. In the budget 2018-19, the government has also proposed a Generation Based Incentive (GBI) of ₹2 (~$0.03)/kWh for existing and future net metered connections in the domestic/residential segment under Delhi Solar Policy.

Ankita is an editor at MercomIndia.com where she writes and edits clean energy news stories and features. With years of experience in the news business, Ankita has a nose for news and an eye for detail. Prior to Mercom, Ankita was associated with The Times of India as a copy editor for the organization’s digital news desk. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Delhi University and a Postgraduate Diploma in journalism. More articles from Ankita Rajeshwari.