The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) has approved a tariff hike for all electricity companies in the city including the rest of the state from April 1. City consumers are currently being catered to by four utilities, and will pay between two to 12 per cent more.

The primary reasons cited by all the companies, when the demand for the tariff hike was initially made were–an increase in fuel cost and a shortfall in revenue due to unpaid bills, during the Coronavirus pandemic.