Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug 24: Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Member of Parliament from Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has strongly urged the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) to defer any proposed electricity tariff hike in the Islands until a central subsidy mechanism is finalised and quality-of-supply benchmarks are achieved.
In his letter to JERC, GoI, at Guru Gurugram in Haryana, MP highlighted that the Islands’ power generation is almost entirely diesel-based, with fuel costs ranging between ₹85–₹95 per litre, resulting in an actual generation cost of ₹22–₹28 per unit much higher than the national average. Any immediate tariff hike, he cautioned, would place unbearable financial stress on households, small businesses, tourism operators, and the fisheries sector.
MP Mr. Ray further informed that he had already taken up the matter with the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Finance Minister and Minister of Power, Govt. of India to secure a dedicated central grant to offset these inherent cost disadvantages. Another critical concern raised was the poor quality of electricity supply in the Islands, marked by frequent outages, load-shedding and voltage fluctuations. He stressed that before burdening consumers with higher tariffs, the Electricity Department must first meet and sustain service quality benchmarks prescribed by JERC regulations.
In such circumstances, the MP requested the Commission to (1) Defer any tariff hike until the central subsidy mechanism is finalized (2) Ensure compliance with quality-of-supply benchmarks before permitting tariff increases (3) Conduct wider stakeholder consultations, including representatives from PRIs, trade associations, civil society groups, and elected leaders, before making final decisions.
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray MP reiterated that tariff policies must balance economic realities with the welfare of the people, in line with constitutional principles.
