Bogged down by the dismal standards of grid supply in Gurgaon, the industrial community here had proposed the idea of buying electricity from the open exchange a few years ago. The official permission for the same was also sought, but wasn't granted.
Most recently, the issue was once again brought up by senior industry representatives at a meeting held here with Devender Singh, the state's principal secretary (power).
"They are now discouraging us to go for open access," said S S Verma, the former vice-president of the chamber of industries of Udyog Vihar. The argument presented to the industrialists by the government official against open access touched upon the high costs that the move would entail. "He said that it was going to be expensive for small-scale industrialists," Verma said.
But the issue of expense, as it is, has remained a point of contention between the small industry and power authorities for years. Additional fuel surcharge, fixed charges, and soaring tariff rates have continued to make grid-supplied electricity dearer for Udyog Vihar's entrepreneurs.
"Why do they have these components in their tariff scheme? When we pay for infrastructure, for transformers, what are they charging so much money for? This is dictatorial," said a plot owner in Udyog Vihar Phase IV.
The industrial sector, according to recent data, accounts for the highest sector-wise consumption of power in Gurgaon - at around 45% of the total quantum of power supplied to the district. This, of course, translates to high revenues for power authorities. And letting industrial consumers shift to open access would mean significant loss of revenue for the discom.
A representative of the communications firm Genesis Burson-Marsteller said, "The government official asked why we want to shift to open exchange. And we said if you give us good enough reasons to stay, we will," said another industrialist who was present at the meeting.
Sources said a meeting between industrialists and senior power authorities is scheduled for Thursday. Discom officials were not available for comment.
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