Date:26/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/26/stories/2008042650400100.htm

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Power tariff hike to spare the poor: Balan

Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Minister for Electricity A.K. Balan told mediapersons on Friday that power tariff would not be increased this financial year in a manner affecting the poor and the middle class.

Addressing a press conference here, the Minister said that the tariff for water supply schemes would be reduced. This would have to be adjusted against tariff for some other categories. The State Electricity Board would file tariff petition for this before the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. However, the poor and the middle class would be spared.

The Minister announced that Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan would inaugurate a wind power unit at Ramackalmedu in Idukki district on Sunday.

The project was the first of the two wind power projects sanctioned to private agencies. Of the total sanctioned capacity of 28.8 MW, 6.6 MW had been set up at Agali in Palakkad district and 10.5 MW at Ramackalmedu.

The Minister said that his department targeted total wind power capacity of 100 MW. It wanted to avoid a power tariff hike next year.

Mr. Balan said that the campaign undertaken by the State Electricity Board to reduce consumption, especially during peak hours, was a success. This helped the board to avoid power cut and load shedding despite cut in allocations from the Central pool. He said that demand had been increasing by about 200 MW every year since 2005.