More than 50 per cent of the power is consumed by commercial and industrial users. The power rate for domestic and agricultural users, who constitute 80 per cent of the total consumers, will remain the same.

According to a DVB order issued on October 28, it will recover ``fuel adjustment charges from all categories of consumers except domestic and agricultural category consumers'' at the rate of 30.23 paise per unit with retrospective effect from April 1, 1998.

The existing industrial and commercial tariff rate is Rs 1.98 per unit. The rate was revised on account of increase in price and freight rates of fuel used for manufacturing power, official sources said. Industrial and commercial consumers, who are bulk users of power, will now have to cough up Rs 2.18 per unit.

Interestingly, the registered industrial and commercial units which are about 7 lakh consumers out of the total 22 lakh consumer of power, do not include the unauthorised industries. ``The unauthorised units, which number more than the authorised, use illegal domestic supply of power,'' the official said.

According to DVB Member (Technical) Y.P. Singh: ``It cannot be termed as a hike because the order that was promulgated on April 1, 1997, had an in-built provision that every year the fuel adjustment charges will be upgraded depending on the price of coal and oil. It is an annual feature''.

Singh, however, could not disclose the exact additional revenue that the DVB would generate through this hike, though he admitted that it should be in crores of rupees.