lamenting hike in peak load tariff ordered by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission for industrial consumers from June this year in the State, Northern India Textile Mills’ Association (NITMA) on Sunday sought intervention of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to hold back the decision.
NITMA president Rajiv Garg said that the industry in Punjab was expecting an early implementation of policy to supply power to industrial sector at Rs 5 per unit as was announced on April 17, 2017, by the state government.
Garg said that the decision would make the power costlier by paise 78 from next month.
The industry is seeing the state power regulator, PSERC, orders as “backdoor” increase in hike as the power tariff are still to be announced for the current financial year.
The Association maintained that during an interaction with Apex Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Punjab) at ludhiana on May 25, Punjab State Power Corporation limited’s chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) A Venu Prasad had indicated that the process was underway to supply power to the industrial sector at Rs 5 per unit as promised by the Chief Minster.
As per PSERC orders, the ‘time of day’ tariff was also withdrawn that comprised of normal tariff minus Re one per KVA from 10 pm to 6 am next day, that id for eight hours, for the industrial consumers.