After suffering huge losses over the past few months due to the lockdown and coronavirus, local industries are seeking a complete removal of the fixed component of the electricity bill as a relief measure, at least till they bounce back to health.
GURUGRAM: After suffering huge losses over the past few months due to the lockdown and coronavirus, local industries are seeking a complete removal of the fixed component of the electricity bill as a relief measure, at least till they bounce back to health.
The Haryana chapter of the Federation of Indian Industries has framed this demand in a recent letter to the state power minister Ranjit Singh Chautala.
“This particular charge is for the maintenance of the infrastructure and it is charged at a high rate of Rs 170 per kilowatt. It comprises almost 50% of our total power bill. For instance, if the total bill of Rs 55,000, around Rs 20,000 would be this component,” said Deepak Maini, Secretary, Federation of Indian Industries, Haryana.
Even before the pandemic struck a blow to their revenues, the industry owners and associations had sought a waiver of this component. “The money is being charged in the name of capital investment, but that investment only happens once whereas the government takes it from us on a recurring basis,” said Rakesh Batra, who has his own manufacturing unit in the city.
Both Maini and Batra believe that if the state government gives them this waiver, it will take a substantial financial burden off them at a time when most companies are struggling to stay afloat.
The industrialists have also complained that even after paying these hefty maintenance charges every month, the power distribution infrastructure in the industrial areas is not satisfactory. “There are recurrent power cuts and load shedding happens on a regular basis. If the government is charging a price, it should provide good service as well,” said another industry member . Earlier this year, the state government had announced a 25% rebate for the industries with a power bill up to Rs 40,000, said Maini. However, they said that it doesn’t help the bigger industries that consume more electricity.
About the other relief schemes announced by the government, most industrialists have claimed to have not received any of those benefit yet. “All of those schemes are slogans meant to appease the industries and maintain the image of the government,” said Batra. Officials of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam couldn’t be reached for a comment.
Source: TNN
