Chennai: Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission has directed Tangedco to evolve a proposal for the creation of a new category for residential purpose under high-tension tariff to address consumer grievances of high costs and cuts in sanctioned demand whenever restrictions were imposed.

The commission gave the direction when hearing a petition filed by the Ozone Project Private Limited, the developer of the Metrozone project developer in Anna Nagar. The real estate company is constructing 30 residential towers of which six towers have been completed and seven more towers are to be handed over, the petition said.

In its order TNERC said that the Ozone Project has obtained high-tension service connection No. 1860 under HT Tariff III for the loads pertaining to common amenities such as lifts, car parking and garden lighting for the six towers and seven more towers to be handed over to the residents in Anna Nagar. The individual apartment owners have been provided with the low-tension service connections. “Despite the fact that the entire usage from the HT connection is only towards residential use in common amenities, the petitioner is burdened with the quota system, whereby there are outages in peak hours and restricted supply during normal hours,” it said, adding that it has put many of the residents especially those who are residing in the higher floors to enormous inconvenience, as alternate arrangements at very high costs have to be incurred.

The real estate developer has sought a direction to the superintending engineer of Tangedco to change the HT service effected under tariff III to serve the loads for common facilities under HT tariff II A and to accept its application seeking one low tension service connection to each of the remaining 17 towers for common facilities and charge under LT tariff I A. However, TNERC has dismissed the demand for changing HT service to HT tariff II A category as it is applicable for the service under state and central government control. “There is no provision in the Tariff orders to provide one LT service connection each for the remaining 17 towers for the common area loads and charge under LT tariff I A,” it noted.

Stating that the residents should not be burdened with high costs and cuts in sanctioned demand whenever restrictions in HT supply are imposed, the commission said that it feels that it may be necessary to create a new category for residential purpose under HT tariff to address the grievances such as that of the petitioner. It directed the Tangedco to evolve a proposal for creation of a new category for consumers like that of the petitioner, with necessary date when it files application for determination of tariff.