Hoteliers seek intervention of CM over MERC's revised tariff
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The MERC, which is the power regulator, on June 25 issued a revised tariff order superseding its earlier multi-year tariff order issued in March.
Hoteliers raised serious objections to the revised order, terming it 'inconsistent', especially in comparison to the earlier tariff order.
"One of the most regressions is the reversal of the classification of hotels from the 'industrial' to the 'commercial' category, which has been termed unjustified and discriminatory by the hospitality industry.
The MERC in its earlier order appropriately categorised hotels under the Industrial Tariff structure, in line with the government resolution (GR), dated Dec 3, 2020," said Harpreet Singh, president of the Aurangabad Hotels and Restaurants Association.
Sunil Choudhary, the association's secretary, said the revised order has many flaws related to the finalised five-year tariff, a drastic increase in charges, and adverse amendments to time-of-day (ToD) benefits for solar users.
"When state govt granted industry status to hotels with retrospective effect from April 1, 2021, no regulatory body can arbitrarily override or recategorise hotels under the commercial bracket. Falling under the commercial category would force hoteliers to pay double the power tariff," he said.
The Aurangabad Hotels and Restaurants Association urged CM Devendra Fadnavis to intervene and direct MERC and MSEDCL to offer relief to hoteliers.
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"The govt must ensure hotels are correctly classified under the industrial tariff category. We also seek transparency and uniform application of policies affecting the hospitality sector, which is a key contributor to employment and tourism in Maharashtra," the association said. Fadnavis, who holds the portfolio of the Energy sector, could not be reached for comments.
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