TN Govt withdraws order on more tariff for excess power consumed

Chennai, Oct 22 (UNI) Bowing to Opposition demand, the Tamil Nadu Government today withdrew its order seeking to levy 50 per cent additional tariff for those consuming power in excess of permissible limits.

The decision to withdraw the order was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi at the Secretariat this morning, an official release here said.

The meeting was attended by Power Minister Arcot N Veerasamy, Local Administration Minister M K Stalin, Agriculture Minister Veerapandi S Arumugam and Public Works Minister Duraimurugan, among others.

As part of overcoming the power crisis, the State Government, while coming out with restrictions on the usage of power, had announced that consumers, both domestic and industrial, should restrict their consumption within the permissible limits.

If they consumed in excess, the government had warned that they have to pay 50 per cent more for every single additional unit of power they consumed.

This drew flak as the Opposition parties, led by the AIADMK, mounted an attack against the government and demanded it immediately to withdraw the order.

AIADMK Leader J Jayalalithaa said the order amounted to taking people back to the stone age.

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