Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) V. Vaithilingam has requested the Union Government to allow power distribution in the Union Territory to remain under government control as the Electricity Department was doing a “creditable job.”
In a letter to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday, the MP said, “The Puducherry Electricity Department has earned a good name among the public due to its performance.”
Entry of private players would result in tariff hike. Welfare oriented measures undertaken by the department including free one light service to slum dwellers, free power to farmers and lower tariff extended to domestic users consuming up to 100 units would be discontinued, Mr. Vaithilingam said.
The department was in the process of applying for Rs 200 crore assistance from the Centre under Ujjwal DISCOM Assurance Yojana to revive its finances, the MP said.