CHENANI: The Left parties on Wednesday slammed the Tamil Nadu govt’s plan to procure short-term electricity from the open market at an exorbitant rate of Rs 35 per unit to offset the ongoing power shortage. Demanding an immediate rollback of the proposal, both CPM and CPI urged the state to secure power at reasonable tariffs through transparent procurement processes.In a sharp statement, CPM state secretary P Shanmugam expressed shock over the proposed procurement rate, alleging that the govt was allowing private energy majors to profit at the expense of the public exchequer by exploiting the deficit.“When one unit of electricity costs Rs 35, it feels like getting an electric shock. Until now, I had not even heard of such a kollai vilai (excessive amount),” he said in his X post. He continued that this showed how a private player would operate with a sole aim of profit and never thinking about people’s perception.Taking a dig at the power utility’s crisis management, Shanmugam noted that while the state had been reeling under severe supply deficits, officials and the state electricity board had spent weeks denying reports of load shedding despite widespread complaints from consumers and political parties. “The govt ought to have anticipated the seasonal shortfall and initiated timely procurement instead of resorting to panic buying at inflated prices,” he said, pressing for a robust long-term roadmap to make TN self-sufficient in power generation.Echoing similar concerns in a separate statement, CPI state secretary M Veerapandian questioned the fiscal prudence of procuring 4,500 MW from the spot market at Rs 35 a unit, warning that it would severely strain the power utility’s existing debt burden. He insisted that power should be sourced at competitive, lower rates to protect public funds.Veerapandian expressed his opposition to the rollout of smart meters and the alleged move to unbundle and privatise transmission infrastructure. He cautioned that such policy decisions would ultimately trigger steep tariff hikes for end consumers and pave the way for the eventual privatisation of the state power utility. CPI urged the govt to scale up thermal and renewable generation through public sector undertakings to ensure affordable power for all.
