The Confederation of Indian Industry, Puducherry, has expressed concern that the proposed increase in power tariff would hurt the industry and called for a roll back of the measure.
In a statement, the CII said the proposed increase in surcharge from 4% to 10% and additional surcharge on compact sub-stations and wheeling charges in open access in the draft Tariff Proposal for 2019-20 will affect the industry at large.
“At a time when the Government of Puducherry is ushering in reforms to rejuvenate business confidence to strengthen the economy of the State, any major power tariff corrections may impact investor confidence and equally impact the existing industries, especially MSMEs,” the CII said.
The CII, which had submitted its recommendations to the Puducherry Electricity Department (PED), urged the Government of Puducherry to keep the power tariff at competitive rates to foster socio-economic development in Puducherry.