Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 30 July 2025
Campaign Committee Chairman of the Andaman & Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee (ANTCC), Mr. TSG Bhasker, has strongly opposed the proposed hike in electrical energy tariffs by the Electricity Department of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration, calling the transfer “shocking” and “untenable.”
In a letter addressed to the Superintending Engineer (Tech), Mr. Bhasker highlighted the already excessive value of electrical energy within the Union Territory and expressed concern over the burden an extra hike would place on residents and companies.
“The existing electricity tariffs in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are already significantly higher than those in other Union Territories like Delhi, Puducherry, and Ladakh. It is unacceptable that, despite frequent power outages and inadequate supply, the people here are being penalized for the Department’s inefficiencies,” Bhasker acknowledged.
He additional warned that the proposed improve would have a crippling affect on the Islands’ tourism-driven financial system. “Compared to other tourist destinations such as Kerala and Goa, higher power tariffs will severely undermine our competitiveness, potentially leading to hotel closures and widespread job losses,” he stated.
Mr. Bhasker additionally criticized the Electricity Department for failing to conduct stakeholder consultations earlier than proposing the hike. He demanded an entire rollback of the proposal and urged the administration to give attention to enhancing service supply, decreasing transmission losses, and enhancing operational effectivity as an alternative of passing the burden onto shoppers.
“Repeated hikes without systemic improvements will make electricity unaffordable for ordinary citizens and discourage private sector growth in the Islands,” he cautioned.
He has formally submitted his objections to the Chief Secretary and Secretary (Power) of the A&N Administration and has additionally introduced the matter to the eye of the President of the Andaman Nicobar Chamber of Commerce & Industry for additional motion.
