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Munde rules out power tariff hike in Maharashtra, hints at new energy audit panel

There will be no fresh hike in rate of power tariff in Maharashtra for both industrial and domestic users during the remaining 15 months of the current tenure of the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance government, according to deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde who also holds the energy portfolio.

He told various associations of industries from Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation that the state government was on its way to set up a power tariff commission which would carry out energy audit and determine rational power tariff structure for industrial and domestic users.

A retired high court judge who is an expert in matters relating to power and industry will head the commission.

He assured the industries that in view of the present recessionary trend, the state government would take all precautions to ensure that future revision of tariff would not impose more than 15 per cent burden on any industrial establishment.

He said the state government would spend Rs 5 billion on modernisation for improving transmission so as to permanently resolve the power problem in MIDC areas in the state. Adequate power would be available to industries in MIDC areas once the new power units at Dabhol, Chandrapur and Koyana go on stream, he added.

Munde said Maharashtra would become the first state in the country to introduce energy audit by setting up power tariff commission, on the guidelines issued by the Centre for rationalising power tariff structure and improve power generation, transmission and supply.

The energy minister assured the representatives of the industrial associations that in case of the state government implementing free power supply to farmers, the additional financial burden would be borne by the state government and it would not be passed on to the industries.

The associations emphasised the need for increasing the number of hydel- and coal-based thermal power generation stations in the state to ensure availability of power at cheaper rates.

UNI

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