We will keep MSEDCL power hike low, says Fadnavis

India, March 14 -- Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said that the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) had demanded a power tariff hike of 11 to 12 percent but the government would intervene to bring it down. The power hike is expected to be around seven percent from April 1 according to officials from the energy department.

Replying to a calling attention motion in the legislative assembly, Fadnavis said that reports claiming that MSEDCL consumers across the state would get a rude shock with a 37 percent tariff hike were not true. He said the petition by the state-owned power company to the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Corporation (MERC) was for 11 to 12 percent. "But we will submit our petition to MERC to ensure that it remains much lower," he said, adding that the power hike was inevitable in the wake of the steep global hike in the price of coal.

The question about the proposed tariff hike was raised by Samajwadi Party MLAs Abu Asim Azmi and Rais Shaikh. Azmi also alleged that a power supply company in suburban Mumbai had employed people with a criminal background to recover power bill dues. "The employees do not wear a uniform, do not reveal their identity and settle for deferment of the payment by taking a bribe," he said. "At times they threaten people who haven't paid their bills."

Fadnavis said the government would ensure that the recovery executives of the power supplier were appointed after a proper credentials check. He said the company would not be allowed to employ anybody with a criminal background. Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Hindustan Times. For any query with respect to this article or any other content requirement, please contact Editor at contentservices@htlive.com