Hyderabad: Consumers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh will have to pay more for power due to the cost of importing coal. According to official estimates, the burden will increase from 15 to 30 per cent in Andhra Pradesh. The situation will be no different in Telangana even though there are more HT services.

The power charges are expected to be hiked before the end of February and will come into effect from April 1. The tariff was not revised in the last financial year due to the code of conduct of the general elections.

Officials of the four Discoms have been working on the quantum of hike and according to highly placed sources, it will be a minimum of Rs 1.50 hike per unit. Consumers who are in the 500+ unit bracket, who have been paying Rs 7 per unit, may have to pay more than the other slabs, as much as around Rs 10 per unit.

The people of Telangana would feel the pinch more than their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh since they will not get any relief despite paying more. They will continue to reel under intense power cuts during summer due to severe shortage of supply.