Goemkarponn desk
PANAJI: Defending the increase in power tariff, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant today said that the proposed hike is very marginal and that Goans pay much less compared to other states like Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Stating that low-tension (LT) consumers in Goa are subsidized, Sawant said that the hike will help in getting central funds to the tune of Rs 2500 cr in the near future.
Sawant was speaking to the media after addressing a press conference on Yoga Day celebrations at Goa.
He also said that the government has already spent around Rs 2000 cr on power infrastructure in the last 5 years while another 3000 cr would have to be pumped in for additional infrastructure creation.
“Power tariff is decided by JERC and not just by the State government; Unless we increase power tariff, we won’t get Central subsidy. The state will have to shell out its own money in the form of subsidy,” said Sawant
He further said that the power tariff will not have any major impact. The hike will be between 60 to 90 paisa per unit. Only commercial establishments will have to pay,” he added
While LT domestic consumers in Goa were paying Rs 1.75 per unit for using up to 100 units of electricity in 2023-24, the power department proposed that this be hiked to Rs 1.88 per unit for 2024-25.
Stating that there are frequent power cuts in the state, Alemao questioned what happened to the Rs 12,000 crore spent on the improvement of the electricity transmission network between 2019 and 2022 in the state.
“This government has failed to reduce the power losses and control the power thefts,” he said.
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