Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, after facing criticism for his statement last week, held a press conference on Monday evening to clarify his position. He said that the Time of Day (TOD) metering tariff will not be applied to domestic or low-tension (LT) consumers for the next three years. However, he confirmed that there will be a five per cent hike in power bills starting this month. This clarification came after opposition parties protested against the department’s earlier proposal, which mentioned a 20 per cent increase in night-time power usage. Dhavalikar said that his earlier statement was “miscommunicated” by the media. However, video recordings show him stating clearly that consumers using less electricity would receive a 20 per cent discount and those using more power between 5 pm and 9 am would face a 20 per cent surcharge. These recordings were widely circulated, causing confusion and frustration.
