CHENNAI: Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Sunday questioned the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board beginning the process of allowing only one electricity connection in the name of the house owner.

Palaniswami, in a statement, said that news reports suggest that the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has initiated the process and carried out door-to-door inspections to identify multiple connections in single premises. He recalled that during the AIADMK government, 100 units of power were provided free for both connections and called upon the DMK government to maintain the status quo.

He said that if the house owner stayed in one portion of the house and had a tenant in another portion, 100 free units of power would be provided. However, if the tenant leaves and the house owner has two electricity connections, one will be disconnected and for reconnection, when a new tenant comes, the house owner has to apply afresh for a new connection, he said. This would lead to the house owner spending more, he added.

The leader demanded the government to continue the existing scheme and continue the free 100 unit electricity scheme.

Also, Palaniswami said that consumers registered their protest against the TANGEDCO order directing them to register the Aadhar number of the house owners a couple of days ago.

The AIADMK leader also told the department to stop collecting disconnect and reconnect charges of Rs 60 from consumers and to send them timely alerts as well as enough time to pay the electricity bill.