Rice millers in the State have heaved a sigh of relief following a government decision to increase their LT (low tension) power supply to 150 KW. This had been a long-pending demand of the 3,000-odd mills that have work for about 180 days in a year.
“Ours is a seasonal industry -- we don't work during the monsoon and are busy during the harvesting season. The Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission has issued the order, which would cover all MSMEs. We cannot afford HT (high tension)power supply since we have to pay bills whether we use power or not,” said D. Thulasingam, president, Tamil Nadu Rice Federation.
Federation secretary A. C. Mohan said that this has been a 10-year-old demand of the millers. “We don't work during the monsoon since we have to use driers. The rice might not have the right colour. We don’t require HT connections and only use slightly more than LT power. We are thankful to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswamy and Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam for this decision,” he said.
