Industrial workers hold protest march in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore over power tariff hike
Dec 27, 2023
Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 27 : Over 15,000 industrial workers on Wednesday held a protest march in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore, demanding the state government roll back the power tariff hike, peak hour charges, fixed charges and mukti point demand.
This was part of the human chain protest across all districts' capitals in the state, attended by members of more than 350 industrial associations and workers.
"On behalf of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Electricity Consumers Association, today we staged a massive human chain protest as the eighth phase of the movement demanding the withdrawal of the electricity tariff hike," J James, coordinator of the Federation of Industrial Electricity Consumers Associations, told ANI.
"Small and medium industries, the lifeblood of Tamil Nadu, have been affected due to the increase in power tariff," he added.
In September of this year, the Tamil Nadu government increased electricity tariffs. The standard fee for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) was doubled to Rs 550, and the peak hour fare was increased by 25%.
The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) approved a 6 per cent annual tariff hike for the years 2023-2024 to 2026-2027. The TNERC also approved Tangedco's proposal to revise power tariffs annually by 6 per cent or based on consumer price inflation (CPI), whichever is lower.
