Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 25 August 2025
Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, Hon’ble Member of Parliament from the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, has urged the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) to defer any proposed electrical energy tariff hike within the Islands till a central subsidy mechanism is put in place and quality-of-supply requirements are met.
In a letter addressed to the JERC in Gurugram, Mr. Ray identified that energy era within the Islands is sort of fully depending on diesel, with gasoline prices ranging between ₹85–₹95 per litre. This ends in a era value of ₹22–₹28 per unit, a lot increased than the nationwide common. An speedy hike in tariffs, he cautioned, would impose extreme monetary stress on households, small companies, the tourism trade, and the fisheries sector.
The MP knowledgeable that he has already taken up the difficulty with the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, Finance Minister, and the Power Minister to safe a devoted central grant to offset the excessive era prices. He additionally flagged the poor high quality of electrical energy provide within the Islands, citing frequent outages, load-shedding, and voltage fluctuations. “Before burdening consumers with higher tariffs, the Electricity Department must first meet and sustain the service quality benchmarks prescribed by JERC,” he emphasised.
Mr. Ray has urged the Commission to:
1. Defer any tariff hike till the central subsidy mechanism is finalised.
2. Ensure compliance with quality-of-supply benchmarks earlier than allowing tariff will increase.
3. Conduct wider stakeholder consultations with PRIs, commerce associations, civil society teams, and elected representatives earlier than making a ultimate choice.
Reiterating his stand, the MP burdened that tariff insurance policies should strike a steadiness between financial realities and the welfare of the folks, according to constitutional ideas.
