The Tamil Nadu Government should provide solar power to MSMEs at a subsidised rate to beat the impact of the acute power cut, according to the Coimbatore District Small Industries’ Association (Codissia).

It has also demanded that the Government ensure a level playing field for industries in the region by distributing equally the available power among all regions in the State.

Codissia President R. Ramachandran, in a statement, said the MSMEs in the region have been reeling under the impact of the nearly 12-hour power cut imposed in the region every day. The industrial units had to depend on captive power generation but with diesel prices going up, this had become unviable. The small scale units also could not afford to run their units on captive power as it pushed up the cost of production, making them uncompetitive in the domestic and international markets.

He said the blow could be softened if the State Government provided subsidy or exempted diesel used in captive generation from any tax. Conceding that this was at best a short-term solution, he urged the Tamil Nadu Government, in association with the Centre, to draw up long-term plans such as providing all-India grid connectivity.

Ramachandran said as an immediate step the Tamil Nadu Government should ensure that the available power was equitably distributed among all the regions including Chennai, ban the use of decorative lighting in all establishments and convert all public lighting into CFL bulbs.

He also suggested that the State Government should consider making solar power available to MSMEs at cheaper rates, particularly in the context of Coimbatore being the only city in Tamil Nadu chosen for the ‘Solar City Project'.

Related Topics