Tripura govt announces Rs 117 crore subsidy to cushion consumers from power bill hike

The Tripura government has announced an additional subsidy of Rs 117.13 crore to the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Ltd (TSECL) to provide relief to consumers from the recent hike in fixed charges in electricity bills.

Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Friday, August 21, that the decision was taken by the state Cabinet on Thursday following widespread protests and complaints over the steep rise in electricity bills.

The Tripura Electricity Regulatory Commission, a quasi-judicial body, had increased the fixed charges in June, triggering protests in several parts of the state.

“We were worried over the abnormal hike in fixed charges in energy bills by the Tripura Electricity Regulatory Commission. Due to this, consumers have started agitating in several areas demanding immediate relief from the exorbitant bills,” Nath said at a press conference.

He said the government had assessed the impact of the increased fixed charges on lakhs of consumers, following which Chief Minister Manik Saha held a high-level meeting to explore measures to provide relief.

With the additional allocation, the government's total subsidy to the power sector for the current financial year will rise from Rs 77.57 crore to Rs 194.70 crore.

Nath said the government would provide 100 per cent subsidy against the increased fixed charge, thereby shielding consumers from the additional financial burden.

He claimed that this was an unprecedented step and said no other government in the country had taken a similar decision.

The minister also defended the government's record on electricity tariffs, saying power tariffs had increased by 40.42 per cent during the tenure of the present government despite a sharp rise in natural gas prices.

In comparison, he said, electricity tariffs had increased by 116 per cent between the 2010-11 and 2017-18 financial years under the previous Left Front government.

The announcement comes amid criticism from the opposition CPI(M) and Congress, which had accused the government of imposing an “abnormal hike” in electricity bills.

Consumers in several areas had also protested by gheraoing TSECL offices and demanding immediate action to address the increase in power charges.