Feasibility of flat and metered electricity tariff system for operating tube wells in Uttarakhand - A case study

This study analyzed the flat and metered tariff electrical system to understand the feasibility of both the systems from farmer's as well as electricity consumption and ground water exploitation point of view. It has been found that with average pumping hours of 850, if metered tariff increased from present 0.7 to 2.5 unit−1, the farmers would be paying equivalent to flat charge ( 126 HP −1 + 20) among 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 HP capacity pump users. It means at flat charge, farmers are paying more than the metered charge of 0.70 unit−1, still they are not willing to switch over to metered tariff systems because the government is not equipped with required manpower and machinery to install and monitor the system which may lead to corruption and also there is a risk of safety of the systems in the field. It also suggests to the government to at least increase the metered tariff up to 2.5 unit −1 without giving any additional burden to farmers. Moreover, if metered tariff system is implemented, the over exploitation of the ground water can be minimized as the farmers will be conscious of not wasting the electricity but ultimately ground water would also be saved.