Madurai industrial consumers protest electricity tariff hike

Madurai: Demanding the state government to revoke the electricity tariff hike, members of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Electricity Consumers’ Federation (MADITSSIA) held a one-day strike and observed a fast in Madurai on Monday.The hunger strike in Madurai city called by the federation, a collective of around 200 industrial associations across Tamil Nadu, was held near Palanganatham Roundtana. The protesters, led by the Madurai district president, Lakshmi Narayanan, went on a hunger strike from 10am to 4pm. “We demand for a GO to be issued so as to allow LT-3-B tariff electricity consumers to be charged at a fixed rate under one category as per the old tariff of 35. Peak hour charges must be removed for all consumers. Solar network charges for electricity production through solar panels must be cancelled,” said the protesters.The federation also urged the state to consider the livelihood of those working in micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and protect their welfare by reducing their burdens due to the electricity tariff hike. They also sought the government to halt multi-year tariff and avoid hiking electricity tariff for at least two years.

40,000 industries in Tami Nadu to protest power tariff hike

Around 40,000 industrial units in Tamil Nadu will remain closed to protest against high electricity tariffs in the state. The announcement comes after the chief minister announced that seasonal industries would be allowed to change their connected load up to four times a year for free. However, representatives of micro, small, and medium enterprises expressed dissatisfaction with the measures. They argue that the tariff hikes are making it even harder for industries, particularly due to the impact of the Ukraine war.

7% tariff hike to support Tripura power co

The Tripura Electricity Regulatory Commission (TERC) has approved a 7% increase in power tariffs to address the revenue deficit of the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL). TSECL projected a revenue gap of Rs 1,100.60 crore and proposed to recover it through tariff hikes. TERC chairman D Radhakrishna stated that the 7% increase was necessary to address a deficit of Rs 60 crore.

JERC raps power dept for flouting tariff hike order

The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission has warned the Goa electricity department of penal action for failing to notify the power tariff for 2021-2022 and continuing with the old tariff without approval. The department kept the tariff order in abeyance and implemented kVAh-based tariffs for certain categories without informing the commission. The commission approved a deficit of Rs 381.51 crore for the year, which the government of Goa has committed to fund. The department cited the ongoing pandemic and public difficulties as reasons for not implementing the tariff order.