Reporter's diary: The ‘reduction’ of charges that wasn’t

CHENNAI: Anyone coming across the Tangedco post on Twitter about the recent tariff hike for industries and commercial establishments would be misled into believing that the fixed and demand charges have been reduced when compared to the previous tariff.

After Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) passed its tariff order, Tangedco has been posting highlights of the orders on its Twitter handle claiming to have reduced fixed charges.

For the LT Industries consumers, the post claimed that the fixed charges for 0-50 kilowatt (kW) have been reduced to Rs 75 per kW from Rs 100, 50-100 kW (Rs 325 kW to Rs 150 kW), 100-112 kW (Rs 600 kW to Rs 150 kW) and 112 kW (Rs 600 kW to Rs 550 kW). This will benefit 3.37 lakh LT industries consumers.

What the post failed to mention was the reduction was not from the previous tariff but from the steep tariff hike proposed by the Tangedco in the latest petition in July.

The manifold increase in the fixed charges was strongly opposed by the industries following which Tangedco filed an additional affidavit in August seeking to reduce it for LT industries and commercial consumers and HT industries and commercial consumers.

After reducing the fixed charges due to strong opposition, Tangedco is now projecting it as if the charges were reduced in comparison with the previously existing tariff charges.