Chandigarh, April 18 -- Former Haryana finance minister Sampat Singh on Friday objected to Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC) accepting the petitions of two power distribution companies - Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) - for implementation of a 47 paise per unit fuel and power purchase adjustment (FPPA) surcharge by relaxing regulations. In a statement, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader said that the petitions have been filed under the pretext of "alleged difficulty" by seeking relaxation in the provisions of multi year tariff regulations 81, 82, and 84, as well as regulation 68. "The real intention is to avoid collecting the surcharge during the 2025-26 financial year and recover it from the public along with carrying costs. This is clearly to exploit energy consumers,'' Singh said. The INLD leader said that the petition of the UHBVN was quietly accepted on March 3, 2026, and that of the DHBVN on April 8, 2026, with consumers in the state not having a hint of it. "This entire process is a deception in the name of transparency," he alleged. He said hearing dates have been fixed for May 6 and 14. For the first time, the petitions and hearings of both distribution companies (DISCOMs) have been separated in a planned manner to suppress the matter. "Earlier, both companies were always heard together and a single order was issued," he added. Singh alleged that the Commission has only mentioned the acceptance of petitions and nowhere has it provided a complete description of the detailed petitions of the electricity distribution corporations. "Nor have the corporations uploaded them on their own websites. In such a situation, how will consumers know what the corporations are demanding?,'' the INLD leader said. He said that tariff order dated March 25, 2026, made no mention of any such fuel surcharge. Despite this, new petitions are now being introduced to benefit the power distribution companies....