CHENNAI: PMK founder S Ramadoss condemned the state government for increasing the power tariff by 3.16 per cent from July 1 and demanded reforms in the electricity board to reduce losses.
In a statement, the senior leader said that the tariff was increased in September 2022. “The government cites the loss incurred in the electricity sector as a reason for the hike. But this is an illusion. After the tariff hike in 2022, the board would have earned a profit of Rs 14,000 crore in 2022-23. Instead, losses increased to Rs 10,000 crore,” he pointed out.
Opining that the reason for the losses is procuring power from private firms at higher rates, Ramadoss urged the government to end the practice.
“It is possible to make the electricity board profitable by completing the pending power projects. So, the government should drop the decision to increase the tariff and make reforms,” he demanded.