As the Tamil Nadu government announced a new electricity tariff which came into effect from September 10, political party leaders in the state were quick to condemn the hike, which is being seen as anti-poor. The parties demanded that the government roll back the steep hike as it would impact the lives and livelihood of the poor and middle-class families.
Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) leader TTV Dhinakaran condemned the move on his official Twitter handle, saying that DMK held nominal consultation meetings and gave no importance to the expressed views. “A hike in electricity tariff will lead to an increase in house and shop rent and the hike will create a further crisis for the small and micro enterprises which are all already distressed,” he said.
Earlier, K Balakrishnan, Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) state secretary of Tamil Nadu, urged the government to withdraw the hike and mentioned that there was no precedent for the annual price hike in the state and this would worsen the life of poor and middle-class families as well as small and medium scale industries.
Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party also criticised the tariff hike stating that the people were already struggling with a rise in the price of fuel and essential commodities. “This hike can further worsen the demands of daily life. Without preventing corruption and malpractices in the Electricity Board and fixing the financial situation through administrative reforms, it is unfair to burden the people to share the debt and pay for it. Along with withdrawing the increase in electricity tariff immediately, the system of calculating electricity consumption every month should be implemented," the party tweeted. They also said that the Tamil Nadu government has implemented the hike in electricity tariff despite there being opposition from the public, small scale, and micro industries.
The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) had approved the proposal by the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd (TANGEDCO) for a hike in power tariff for domestic consumers in the state. The revised tariff for 2022-27, which came into effect on September 10, would see a hike of up to 6% on July 1 every year, from 2023-24 to 2026-27, based on inflation for all the consumer categories.
VK Sasikala in her statement said the move was unjust to the people of Tamil Nadu. “The Tamil Nadu government has already hiked the price of Aavin milk, as well as the property tax up to 150%. DMK government hiked the electricity bill like never before. It is condemnable as the government hiked up to 32% of the tariff to the users, particularly poor and middle-class families, who consume not more than 200 units," she said.