Even as most of the people of this State are yet to fully absorb the finer details of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission’s latest general tariff increase, the main message is nevertheless crystal clear: they will be paying higher electricity bills than they have paid in the past, regardless of the quality of service.
E. Chandra, who owns a petty shop in Madurai, is among many people who are worried about the increase. She is anxious about how she can repay loans because a chunk of her meagre earnings will go towards the power bill. Already, the view gaining ground is that domestic category users who consume 500 units and above bimonthly will be the worst affected. The new rate for those using 500 units bimonthly would be ₹1,725 against the old rate of ₹1,140, an increase of 51.32%, a figure confirmed by Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji himself in an advertisement issued to a Tamil daily on September 15.
Raghavan, a resident of Nanganallur, a Chennai suburb, complains about this category being made “victims” of the free universal supply of 100 units for every two months to the domestic category. However, in the calculation of the authorities, the segment, totalling around 7.2 lakh, accounts for a mere 3.03% of the 2.37 crore domestic and hut connections. S. Subramaniam, who resides at Ammapettai near Chidambaram in Cuddalore district, raises the issue of faulty meter readings; he says most meters are “sub-standard”. Besides, the readings are not done properly. Terming public hearings held by the TNERC eyewash, N. Jamaludeen of Tiruchi is sore that Tangedco did not bother to listen to the grievances and points made by the consumers. “A close look at the new tariff structure shows that the domestic connections have almost been brought on a par with the commercial category, but for fixed charges,” he points out.
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