PUBLIC OPPOSE PROPOSED INCREASE IN POWER TARIFF.
Tamilnadu Electricity regulatory commission held first public hearing on Tuesday here on the petition by the Tamilnadu Electricity Board for increase in the power tariff. Rationalizing the increase, C P Singh, Chairman TNEB, said that cost of production and distribution had increased from Rs 4.20 per Unit to Rs 4.90 per Unit whereas the subsidy provided by the government was only Rs 2.20 per Unit for Domestic, Huts and agricultural consumers. He further said that the increase would affect only 10 lakh people out of 1.5o crore consumers in the state. There were strong opposition from various quarters .Persons representing various Associations and CITU vehemently opposed to the increase.Two of the basic requirements for people to lead a descent life are Water and Electricity. For both, time and again people depend on Nature. If nature fails, Government also becomes helpless. When there is a machinery to take care of the interest of the public and if cannot anticipate problem and cannot create, develop and maintain additional resources as backups, the purpose of the existence of the machinery is defeated. We have been facing power shortage for a long long time. Governments’ primary responsibility is to constantly improve the quality of life of people through productive means. In case of power the Government should publish its five year plan on how it plans to meet the growing consumption of power.
