[education]

Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation’s (Tangedco) Chennai-centric power policy has left people in the districts fuming.

Irked by the “step-motherly treatment” meted out to people across the state barring Chennai, the consumers, both domestic and industrial, who are made to suffer without electricity for eight hours a day, have demanded uniform power cut as their counterparts in the state capital face a negligible one hour power cut.

This resentment could be seen at the public hearing on tariff revision held by Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission in Madurai recently. Many a speaker came down heavily on Tangedco’s bias against people in the districts and put forth their demand for ‘uniform power cut.’ In fact, a speaker called for carrying out a procession to the state capital to express people’s anger over the discrimination shown to them for living in Tier-II and III cities and smaller towns and villages.

Trade and industrial bodies are even more cut up with the Tangedco for its ‘favour Chennai’ attitude. They have called upon the government to cast this approach off and put in place a transparent power policy.

“There is no justification or rationale behind the preferred treatment meted out to Chennai with just one hour power cut when the rest of the state is forced to undergo several hours of power cut. This has resulted in those residing in Chennai being oblivious of the gravity of the situation prevailing in the rest of the state. Trade and industrial units all over the state without any distinction remit only the same tax rate and charges. Hence in all fairness, the duration of power cut / load shedding should be the same without any disparity throughout the state including for multinational companies,” Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry senior president S. Rethinavelu said. Industrialists lament that the corporation’s discriminatory approach has only given an unfair advantage to their competitors in Chennai.

Meenakshi Sundaram, a medical practitioner, had filed a petition in the Madurai bench of Madras high court in 2010 charging that the Tangedco was treating those living in other parts of the state as second-class citizens. His prayer — uninterrupted power supply to all in the districts like in Chennai – continues to remain unheard.

-dc chn