Background: Since April 2019 there is no subsidy scheme for solar roof top in Maharashtra & MSEDCL demanded just 25 MW subsidies for entire Maharashtra from MNRE last year, whereas the Discom’s of Gujarat which is half the size of Maharashtra had taken up 600MW. This was a clear case of injustice to the highest tax payer state of the country & on top of it MSEDCL did not even start this minuscule of 25MW subsidy scheme. Also meanwhile MSEDCL’s Anti Maharashtra approach continued by means of proposing Net Billing, Grid support charges, banking charges & they kept the consumers confused & Solar Integrators on their toes to make them completely forget the subsidy process.
When Team MASMA (Maharashtra Solar Manufacturers Association) briefed this entire episode to the newly appointed Energy minister Dr. Nitin Raut, he intervened & instructed MSEDCL for restarting the subsidy process immediately. Despite all the ministers’ instructions, MSEDCL again delayed the process for several months & finally on 28th August 2020 came up with an EOI to initiate the empanelment process for subsidy disbursement. When this tender was published half heartedly, it was such a clear cut copy paste job from a neighbouring state that MSEDCL even forgot to replace the GST number with its own. The copy paste conditions mentioned in the original Tender were for a MW level tender & beyond MNRE guidelines. MSEDCL was made aware of its mistakes by Team MASMA by mail & also in its Pre BID meetings. MSEDCl corrected a few of these mistakes twice & two times the tender terms were corrected. Even the third version of tender is deliberately made full of mistakes to discourage Solar Industry people from participating in it & still the pin code of Msedcl is of GUJARAT.
Current Situation: MSEDCL has tried to finish the entire Solar MSME of Maharashtra in a well planned manner by complicating the tender with impossible terms. Meda which started the phase 1 of subsidy almost 2 years ago has more than 700 registered vendors. Currently Solar fraternity of Maharashtra has more than 6000 Integrators. Only 316 purchased the MSEDCL tender & only 81 of them could submit it. Out of this 81 also only 50% are estimated to qualify or accept MSEDCL terms & hardly 40 integrators will be empanelled. These 40 people will also soon realise that they cannot comply with the terms of Tender & their performance bank guaranties will be forfeited ..putting the entire Subsisdy Scheme in jeopardy. Already several people have already moved to court against this TUGHLAKI tender.
Appeal By MASMA through print Media to public at large, MSEDCL, Dr. Nitin Rautji & Shri Nitin Gadkariji: Most of our members (All MSME’s) are in initial stages of their career & have no alternate source of business. We were in hope of a better future for us & our employees but MSEDCL complicated the tender terms unnecessarily. Several of our members are on verge of bankruptcy & several have even closed their business. Who will be responsible if one of our members takes an extreme step like a debt ridden farmer?
MSEDCL must act fair towards honest taxpaying & employment generating businessmen by retendering with fair conditions. We require support from all segments of society not only for our members but also for the citizens of Maharashtra.
