Return
to Story Page
To print: Select File and then Print from your
browser's menu
Sanjay Jog
Mumbai, August 29: The Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) has made an average 7.6 per cent hike in power tariff to mop up additional revenue of Rs 450 crore. The revised tariffs will be made effective from September 1. This will be a second increase after the board effected a 17.3 per cent hike in July 1996 to generate additional revenue of Rs 800 crore.
MSEB chairman Asoke Basak after the board meeting told The Financial Express that for domestic consumers the hike will be 5.6 per cent while for commercial it will be 11.5 per cent, for low tension (LT) industrial 8.9 per cent and for high tension (HT) industrial, a moderate 5.9 per cent. The state cabinet had cleared MSEB's proposal on August 25 which was ratified by the MSEB board today.
For powerloom, there has been no hike on metered power supply while in case of horsepower (HP) it has been increased from Rs 160 to Rs 175 per horsepower per month. For agriculture, MSEB has provided two options for the consumers. For horsepower up to 5 HP, power tariff has been increased from Rs 400 to Rs 500, up to 10 HP it will be from Rs 500 to Rs 750 and for more than 10 HP, the tariff has been hiked from Rs 600 to Rs 1,000. For metered consumers, the present tariff of 74 paise per unit will continue as MSEB has not suggested any increase.
There will be no hike for rural water supply and the present rate of Rs 750 per HP will continue. In case of C class municipalities, the hike will be Rs 750 to Rs 1,200 per HP. For urban water supply other than C class municipalities, there has been an average hike of 7.5 per cent. Basak said that MSEB will give incentives to hi-tech agriculture which includes tissue culture, green houses, mushroom farming which have been at present charged the industrial/commercial tariff of Rs 3.50 to Rs 4 per unit. However, during the revised tariff, the hi-tech farming will be charged at the moderate rate of Rs 2.25 per unit.
For pre cooling and cold storages to be set up by farmers, the power tariff will be reduced to Rs 1.50 per unit from the present rate of Rs 2.50 per unit (the power tariff charged on low tension industrial units). "These sops have been offered to attract investment in this sector in a big way. The related bids will be made opened for investors in a three-day international exposition Agro Advantage Maharashtra in November this year," he added.Basak said power will be made available at Rs 2.30 per unit to any high tension industrial unit which will take only shift at night. MSEB is selling power during the night to neighbouring Karnataka at this rate.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
------------------------------------------------------------
This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
------------------------------------------------------------