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CHEAPER (PROPOSED)
Domestic
* From ₹3.20 to ₹2.40 per unit for units between 201-300 units
* From ₹3.60 to ₹3.20 per unit for units 401-500
COSTLIER
Agri-industries
* ₹2.10 per unit as against the earlier tariff of ₹1.30 per unit for agriculture on a whole
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PANAJI: Industrial as well as agricultural consumers of power have raised objections with the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission over the rise in tariff proposed by the Goa Electricity Department, accusing the government of resorting to power hikes while failing to utilise electricity duty and infrastructure tax to improve power distribution infrastructure.
The hearing saw representations from several sections industry, the construction industry as well as importantly the agriculture sector which has complained about its reclassification.
The Goa Electricity Department has proposed to reduce the tariff of low tension domestic consumers from ₹3.20 to ₹2.40 per unit for units between 201-300 units as well as from ₹3.60 to ₹3.20 per unit for units 401-500 units while leaving other slabs untouched.
However, the department has proposed to increase the rates of units for agricultural allied industries by creating a new category called ‘agriculture allied’ and charging a tariff of ₹2.10 per unit as against the earlier tariff of ₹1.30 per unit for agriculture on a whole.
The new category will apply to all including mushroom cultivators, prawn hatcheries, cold storages, as well as poultries, food processing and the like.
“The only industries that are growing in Goa are being sought to be given a higher tax,” Dr Sangam Kurade who spoke on behalf of the mushroom cultivators said.
Others who spoke on behalf of the agriculturists included Joseph D’Souza who argued that the tariff had the incorrect definition of agriculture and only included those who needed pumps to lift water from a river or a well and everything else was included in allied activities.
Industries too put forth their grievances for the hike in tariff saying that it was unnecessary given that the department already has a kitty of more than ₹800 crore which has been collected in the form of electricity duty and lying unused by the department.
The tariff for hoardings and signboards is proposed to be hiked from ₹6.90 to ₹9.00 for industrial from ₹3.90 to ₹4.30 for 33kV industrial and from ₹3.80 to ₹4.20 for 110kV industrial consumers besides hikes on a long range of high tension industrial and agricultural consumers.
Speaking on behalf of CII, Paraj Joshi said that the department should first seek the 800 crore to improve its infrastructure before considering a hike.
“We had asked for this duty in order the infrastructure should be improved, but it turns out that the money is going into the general kitty of the government and there is no track of how the money is spent,” Joshi said. His view was echoed by several members of industry present in the audience as well as MLA Rohan Khaunte who also raised the issue of infrastructure tax being charged by the government, but the electricity department failing to benefit from this tax.
Points raised at the hearing included the transmission losses, the quality of power being supplied, billing cycles, the failure to implement green energy in the state, and others. The JERC will now examine the proposal of hike by the power department, the petitions against it and accordingly approve the rates.
