CHENNAI: CPI state secretary R Mutharasan on Tuesday demanded the state government to roll back the power tariff hike and reduce electricity charges.

“The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) has increased electricity charges by 20 paise to 55 paise per unit. This increase will come into effect from July 1. It is not right to continue the system of imposing monthly fixed charges, which was introduced in the previous regime due to the compulsion of the union government,” he said in a statement.

The CPI leader alleged that the state electricity regulatory commission is acting in favour of the union government which wants to hike the tariffs every year.

“The state government’s right to provide electricity subsidy should not be allowed to be taken away,” Mutharasan said, demanding to reconsider the tariff hike and to change the two-month fixed charges system.

On Monday, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) announced that power tariff charges in the state have been hiked by 4.83 percent for domestic, commercial, and industrial users. This was part of the measures to offset the mounting financial losses incurred over the years, the state-run discom Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) said.

According to the revised tariff, the increase for domestic consumers is between Rs 5 and Rs 40 for different categories.