CPIM objects to proposed power tariff hike in Tripura

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, October 30, 2025

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has strongly opposed the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited’s proposal to increase power tariffs for both domestic and commercial consumers. The objection was raised during a public hearing conducted by the Tripura Electricity Regulatory Commission on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters, CPIM state secretariat member Ratan Das said the TSECL’s Multi Year Tariff petition for 2025–26 seeks an unjustified increase in electricity charges under various categories. He accused the state-run power utility of financial mismanagement and failing to improve power generation in the state.

Das said the corporation has been unable to enhance Tripura’s power generation capacity in recent years. Instead, generation has fallen sharply. He claimed that power plants set up during the previous Left Front government have recorded a 64 per cent decline in output over the past seven and a half years. No new power project has been commissioned during the current government’s tenure, he added.

Criticising the proposed Time of the Day tariff system, Das said the move would lead to serious financial distress for small businesses. Under the proposal, commercial consumers drawing more than 10 KW of power between 5 pm and 11 pm would be charged 140 per cent of the normal rate, while domestic users would be billed at 110 per cent.

Das rejected the corporation’s justification that rising operational costs and outstanding dues had forced it to seek higher tariffs. He claimed that nearly 25 per cent of consumers in the state do not pay their electricity bills, and suggested that TSECL focus on improving revenue collection instead of burdening honest consumers.

The tariff revision proposal also includes a 100 per cent hike in fixed charges. Power tariffs in Tripura were last revised in 2024 amid widespread public criticism.

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