Subsidised power to industry: No rollback, says Capt ›

How can the government even think of retracting a promise which is so crucial to bringing the state back on the path of industrial and economic revival? CAPT AMARINDER SINGH, chief minister

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday ruled out any rollback on the decision to provide power to the industry at the subsidised rate of ₹5 per unit.

In a statement issued here, Amarinder said the decision has already been taken by his government and ratified by the cabinet, setting at rest all apprehensions of any change in this regard.

He said the notification on the industrial power subsidy had been slightly delayed only to give the department of industries the time to resolve some critical issues faced by the industry on account of the newly imposed fixed power tariff.

The two-part power tariff structure announced by Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) would prevent the benefits of the subsidy from reaching the bulk industrial power consumers, such as the steel industry and the large units with co-generation capacities, said the CM.

He added that he had received various representations from the industry seeking government intervention to minimise the adverse effect of the fixed tariff.

Amarinder pointed out that large units, dependant on co-generation, were forced to install massive external power capacities, and were required to pay fixed charges on the same, even though the usage of power from the grid was minimal and not that high.

The plight of the steel industry, he said, was somewhat similar, as it required large power capacities for the cold start of its machines, and had to pay fixed tariff on the same even though the bulk consumption was much lower.

Taking cognisance of these and some other serious problems faced by the industry, the CM said he had directed the chief secretary, additional chief secretary (power), chairman PSPCL and secretary, industries, to work out the modalities, in consultation with representatives of industry, to resolve the matter.

“How can the government even think of retracting a promise which is so crucial to bringing the state back on the path of industrial and economic revival,” he asked.

He also dismissed apprehensions expressed by a section of industrialists on this count as totally baseless.