Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 30 July 2025
Campaign Committee Chairman of the Andaman & Nicobar Territorial Congress Committee (ANTCC), Mr. TSG Bhasker, has strongly opposed the proposed hike in electricity tariffs by the Electricity Department of the Andaman & Nicobar Administration, calling the move “shocking” and “untenable.”
In a letter addressed to the Superintending Engineer (Tech), Mr. Bhasker highlighted the already high cost of electricity in the Union Territory and expressed concern over the burden an additional hike would place on residents and businesses.
“The existing electricity tariffs in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are already significantly higher than those in other Union Territories like Delhi, Puducherry, and Ladakh. It is unacceptable that, despite frequent power outages and inadequate supply, the people here are being penalized for the Department’s inefficiencies,” Bhasker stated.
He further warned that the proposed increase would have a crippling impact on the Islands’ tourism-driven economy. “Compared to other tourist destinations such as Kerala and Goa, higher power tariffs will severely undermine our competitiveness, potentially leading to hotel closures and widespread job losses,” he said.
Mr. Bhasker also criticized the Electricity Department for failing to conduct stakeholder consultations before proposing the hike. He demanded a complete rollback of the proposal and urged the administration to focus on improving service delivery, reducing transmission losses, and enhancing operational efficiency instead of passing the burden onto consumers.
“Repeated hikes without systemic improvements will make electricity unaffordable for ordinary citizens and discourage private sector growth in the Islands,” he cautioned.
He has formally submitted his objections to the Chief Secretary and Secretary (Power) of the A&N Administration and has also brought the matter to the attention of the President of the Andaman Nicobar Chamber of Commerce & Industry for further action.
