NEW DELHI: Citizens’ groups on Wednesday countered the demand of the three discoms for a tariff hike at the public hearing organised by Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC). The participating RWAs, instead, asked the power companies to have a healthy competition between themselves and bring their operations under the ambit of RTI and CAG audit This year’s hearing, however, saw lesser participation from citizens’ groups. The meeting turned out to be a comparatively muted affair and wrapped up three hours before the 6pm deadline. This occurred despite the proposed two-day hearing being accommodated into a daylong session.Power tariffs in Delhi have not seen a hike in the last two years. The last increase of 5% was done in 2014. Keeping power tariffs low has been a key policy of the AAP government, which is also providing Rs 1,720 crore subsidy for the current financial year.The discoms claimed that the total revenue gap in 2015-16 was over Rs 34,000 crore as a result of a non-cost reflective tariff over past many years. The estimated revenue requirement submitted by BSES Rajdhani Power is Rs 9,052 crore, BSES Yamuna Power Rs 4,892 crore and Tata Power Rs 7,680 crore.DERC had invited suggestions and objections from stakeholders on the petitions filed by the discoms for increased expenses for FY 2014-15, FY 2015-16 and Aggregate Revenue Requirement and tariffs for FY 2017-18. The commission will now analyse the comments from stakeholders as well as the expenses and revenue requirement of the power utilities before arriving at a decision.Meanwhile, Delhi BJP boycotted the meeting with state chief Manoj Tiwari calling it “a mark of protest against cheating of people and in support of demands of most RWAs”.The party also raised objections against non-appointment of two of the three DERC members and discoms not being brought under the ambit of Comptroller and Auditor General audit.