CHENNAI: TTV Dhinakaran, founder of AMMK, condemned the state government for the unchecked hike in basic goods and services like the electricity tariff stating that it has greatly added to the struggles of the common people.
The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) announced on Monday that EB charges in the state have been hiked by 4.83 percent.
Dhinakaran pointed out that since the DMK government took over, there has been a consecutive hike in EB charges --- 30% in 2022, 2.18% in 2023, and 4.83% in the present year.
"The state government denied all allegations of EB hikes before the elections, but soon after the elections were over, they promptly raised the charges, putting the public in a tough spot," the opposition leader alleged.
Dhinakaran further said that according to trade unions, several small and medium industries have been hit hard by the EB tariff hike with many on the verge of shutting down.
"When the AIADMK was in power, the opposition DMK repeatedly blamed them for increasing EB charges, and now they are making the same mistake, pushing people's lives into darkness," he criticised.
The AMMK leader demanded that the state government roll back the hike and make efforts to increase electricity production through efficient measures.