Agartala, April 3 (IANS) With an eye on next year’s assembly polls, Tripura’s Left Front government Tuesday announced a 12 percent subsidy on a 17 percent power tariff hike by the Tripura Electricity Regulatory Commission (TERC).
“To provide subsidy on the power tariff, Rs.40 crore has to be spent from the government exchequer during the current fiscal,” state Power Minister Manik Dey said.
The TERC last week has increased the power tariff up to 69 paisa per unit for the electricity being supplied by the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL).
“The subsidy on power tariff by the state government is meant to ease the burden on the electricity consumers,” the minister added.
A TSECL official said that keeping in mind the growing price hike of natural gas by the central government, increase of staff salary and raise in operational and maintenance cost, the revision of power tariff has become imminent.
The politically important assembly election in the lone Left ruled state is scheduled to be held in February next year.
