Sukhbir Badal must intervene & order continuation of TOD Tariff
Author(s): K.K. GargPunjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission in its order issued on 31st March 2015, had withdrawn TOD ( Time of the day) Tariff which allowed the Industry to get rebate of Rs.1/50 per unit by operating at night between...
cityairnews
Apr 2, 2015 12:30
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Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission in its order issued on 31st March 2015, had withdrawn TOD ( Time of the day) Tariff which allowed the Industry to get rebate of Rs.1/50 per unit by operating at night between (10:00 PM to 06:00 AM) from 1st October 2014 to 31st March 2015 & Rs.1 rebate from April to May. This will prove to be death knell for the already ailing Induction Furnace Industry. As is known to everybody that 30 % of the Punjab’s Steel Industry has already closed down during the last 3 years and the rest are running at 50% capacity. This night Tariff rebate was like a ventilator for the suffocated Steel Industry of Punjab which the PSERC / PSPCL has removed & sent the Industry into gallows.
This night time Tariff rebate was introduced on the behest of Dy. C.M Sukhbir Singh Badal when a group of industrialist met him in 2013 & explained that this rebate is available in many other States & moreover the PSPCL has surplus power at night which is going waste. The Government introduced this industry-friendly policy of asking industry to operate at night in October 2013.At this time, the policy was introduced till March 2014,and later extended from April – May 2014.After a break of four months, the time of day tariff for running of industry at night on subsidised tariff, was reintroduced in October 2014.
Since power is a major input cost for the Steel sector, a large number of industrial units in the state, mainly Steel Rolling Mills, Induction Furnaces, started operating at night, thus saving on their input costs.
On one hand the Government is boosting about surplus power in Punjab & other hand the policies by PSPCL is discouraging the industry.
Therefore, Induction Furnace Association of North India request Dy. C.M Sukhbir Singh Badal who holds the power portfolio to intervene & order the continuation of TOD Tariff.
Otherwise the remaining Induction Furnaces in Punjab will be compelled to down shutters.
(The Author is President of Induction Furnace Association of North India)
Date:
Thursday, April 2, 2015
