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Even though the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board’s debts are mounting, chief minister J. Jayalalithaa on Wednesday ruled out any hike in electricity charges.

“We will not burden the people under any circumstance,” she said responding to a query on whether the state government would hike the electricity charges.

The accumulated loss of the TNEB has touched an alltime high of `46,000 crore.

The CM said that her government would initiate action against the allegation that the TNEB had not properly utilised the 350 MW power purchased from other states during the previous DMK regime. She alleged that there was a large scale corruption in the import of coal for the TNEB. During the previous regime, power was purchased from private generators for higher rates and commissions collected, she said.

Stating that there were no power cuts during her previous stint, Ms Jayalalithaa listed out irregularities behind the dismal performance of the TNEB. “There was a slump in power generation.

Coal of inferior quality was imported. There was no proper maintenance of power generation stations which led to shut down of thermal plants for many days.” Ms Jayalalithaa said efforts would be made to increase power generation capacity to the tune of 5,000 MW as promised in the AIADMK manifesto.