Infuse funds, make departments pay power dues, Sonowal told

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Dec 5: The Assam unit of the North Eastern Small Scale Industries Association (NESSIA) has appealed to Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal to infuse additiol funds and subsidies, besides making various departments of his government realize pending power bills amounting to around Rs 200 crore so as to cushion the blow of the latest steep power hike in the State.

The NESSIA has expressed serious concern over the imposition of an additiol Rs. 0.59 paise per unit from December 1, 2016 by the APDCL as fuel and power purchase price adjustment (FPPPA) for all consumers. State NESSIA president Sailen Baruah said at a meeting of MSME entrepreneurs as well as domestic consumers recently and opposed the hike by APDCL.

Baruah said: “It is known that fuel prices are increasing day by day, and as such it becomes difficult for APDCL to tide over the differences of debt of Rs. 265 crore. At this Juncture, we appeal to the State Government and the Chief Minister to come out in support of consumers and the APDCL by infusing additiol funds and subsidizing the hike of tariff so that consumers are relieved and the APDCL gets much needed breathing ground. The government should also work out a permanent solution over functioning of the APDCL with much professiol approach. Realization of pending tariff amounting to Rs. 110 crore during 2015- 16 and Rs. 90 crore in 2016- 17 lying with different government offices and departments is on top priority of the APDCL.”

NESSIA said that power tariff hike has become a yearly affair now. “When a few industrial houses are purchasing power from power bank at very cheap rate, approximate Rs. 3.25 a unit, what prevented the APDCL from purchasing bulk power at much cheaper rate?” Baruah questioned, and added: “When the APDCL is not sparing any relief on tariff realization to micro, small sector industries and domestic consumers who are its largest consumers, how and under what circumstances it is extending tariff relief to big private sector and public sector industries?”

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