RAIPUR: The officials of Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited (CSPDCL) attempted to clear the confusion and alleged misinformation on the hike in electricity tariffs cited as a reason to shut down the operations as protest by around 200 mini steel plants across the state since Monday night.
The strike declared by the Chhattisgarh Mini Steel Plant Association came with a forewarning that the shutdown would continue till the state government decides in favour of the steel industries.
According to the authorised sources in CSPDCL, the new tariff which is only a 25 paise (4.01 per cent) increase per unit electricity charge has been declared applicable from June 1 this year and now it is Rs 6.35 fixed per unit for high voltage (tension) steel industries.
“The hike in energy charge was only 35 paise in 8 years. After the revised power tariff for every segment of power consumers, the subsidy as tariff load factor discount of Rs 713 crore is given to the steel industries and such relief has not been extended to any other category of consumers. And when compared to 2017-18 there has been no hike in the demand (fixed) charge. The energy charge has been increased to Rs 6.35 from Rs 6 (a hike of 5.83 per cent) during the last seven years. In Chhattisgarh, the per unit charge is Rs 6.35, while in Maharashtra it is Rs 8.36. Telangana Rs 8.10 and Madhya Pradesh Rs 7.15. So, the hike is quite nominal during the last 8 years for steel industries in the state”, the sources told TNIE.
The maximum subsidy given on load factor to steel industries, though, has been reduced to 10 per cent from the earlier 25 per cent, which was raised from 8 per cent four years ago.
“The Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission took an initiative to fix the subsidy to 10 per cent to minimise the impact of load (charges) on other categories of consumers”, it was told.
Earlier, the office bearers of the Mini Steel Plant Association claimed that the hike in power tariffs , they claimed now is Rs 7.60, has turned the operation expensive making the return to work unfeasible for many and so the decision was taken to stop production.
“The shutdown will directly affect around three lakh workers but the operations will start only after the government extends relief”, said Manish Dhuppad, general secretary of the Association. He claimed that in Chhattisgarh the steel industries pay an annual GST amount of Rs 9000 crore and Rs 800 crore as electricity bills.