The Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister met with the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and discussed on the various demands placed by the association.
Coimbatore: The Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister met with the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and discussed on the various demands placed by the association.
Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry convened a consultative meeting and held talks with TN Electricity Minister V. Senthil Balaji in Coimbatore on Friday. The Minister assured of conveying the demands to the Chief Minister during his discussion with the department. Issues on electricity, infrastructure etc., were placed in the meeting.
The press release stated,
“The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore founded by Sir R K Shanmugam Chetty, the First Union Finance Minister of Independent India, is serving the cause of trade, industry, services and professional bodies. It is a premier organization having 1,672 members consisting of individual entities in farming, industry, trade and services, including 101 associations of such entities engaged in any specific field of economic activity.
We sincerely thank the Minister for sparing your precious time and made it possible to be with us today to meet the trade and industrial organisations of our chamber.
We take this opportunity to bring to your kind attention the issues related to electricity, infrastructure, etc. which we need to receive your favourable consideration.
1. ELECTRICITY MD CHARGES FOR HT CONSUMERS:
We thank the Tamil Nadu Government for extending various reliefs to MSMEs in the last 6 months.
The Industrial segment has been affected very badly due to lockdown and resultant closer of factories, worst affected all HT consumers with regard to payment of Maximum Demand Charges (MD).
The Madras High Court issued an order allowing levy of 20% of fixed charges as MD charges. The MD charges have been waived to HT consumers in various states and at various levels in Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat. Tamil Nadu is the most important state with high Number of MSMEs and industrialists who are pioneers in manufacturing needs.
Hence, we seek your support in this matter.
2. OPEN ACCESS: ADDITIONAL SURCHARGE 70 PAISE / UNIT FOR IEX / BILATERAL / THIRD PARTY POWER SOURCING
TNERC allowed TANGEDCO’s for collection of additional surcharge of 70 paise / unit from open access consumers who sourced power from IEX and third party sources effective 16th April 2021.TANGEDCO is already levying wheeling, cross subsidy surcharge etc. The additional surcharge will add burden to OA consumers. It is kindly requested to withdraw additional surcharge date of its implementation.
3. GRID INTERACTIVE SOLAR SYSTEM: NETWORK CHARGES
TNERC in its order for Grid Interactive Solar System (GISS) has introduced network charges to existing and new consumers vide its order dated 8 of 2021 dated 22.10.2021. The levy of network charges may discourage many people to install solar power plants and harness the green energy. It is kindly requested to withdraw network charges.
4. SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT OF FINANCIAL STATUS OF TANGEDCO
a. An interest of 1% per month shall be given to HT consumers who are willing to make advance payment against their CC bills. This will help to source more public funds into TANGEDCO.
b. Low Tension consumers who are willing to make advance payment or CC deposits may be also be given 1% interest per month and the credited interest shall be adjusted against their immediate CC bills. This will help to source more public funds into TANGEDCO.
c. Due to ground realities, power supplied for agriculture use is not metered. TANGEDCO is finding difficulties in claiming funds from government for free power supplied for agriculture use.
It is kindly requested that the government to pass a GO, stating that the power supplied for agriculture use should be metered and bill for power supply cost will be raised against “Agriculture Department” of concerned district. The Agriculture Department on receipt of bill has to make payment to TANGEDCO and claim the amount from state government. This will remove fear of agriculturists to install meter.
5. SINGLE WINDOW CLEARANCE
We appeal to the government for introduction of single window clearance, by a suitable software system, for sanction of building approvals.
This system should be adopted by director of town and country planning, local Planning authority, corporation, and housing department.
This will facilitate approval of licenses/approvals without any delay supporting construction industry.
6. COMPLETION CERTIFICATE
At present the building completion certificate is not issued and kept pending even for minor deviations inside the building like window etc.
We request the Minister to kindly consider issuing of completion certificate if the following criteria are not deviated.
1. Height of the Building
2. Parking area
3. FSI (Floor Space Index)
4. Setback
We humbly seek your consideration in this regard.
7. TAMIL NADU GOODS AND SERVICES TAX ACT 2017
We have already represented to the Chief Minister pleading for dropping the proposal to bring Offensive of the Bill Trading within the Goondas Act 1982.
This Act is a preventive detention enactment and cannot be practically enforced on curb Bill Trading. Further this Act already contains provisions to curb Bill Trading. Bill Trading is a nationwide concern. Businessmen are not Goondas; we suggest new technology to be used to track bill trading.
In view of the above we earnestly appeal to the Minister to drop this proposal.
8. MEMORANDUM OF DEPOSIT OF TITLE DEEDS
We would like to bring to your kind attention that the Government of Tamil Nadu has announced that registration fee would be reduced to 0% from 1% for agreement of micro and small enterprises and to further ease access to formal credit the government will amend the Registration Act 1908 to permit online registration agreement relating to Memorandum of Deposit of Title Deeds for availing term and working capital loan and do with the need for physical presence of barrowers and lenders for the execution of such deeds.
We request the Minister to take up this with the concerned department and arrange to issue necessary GO for the amendment.
9. MOD CHARGES
For availing Bank loans, the MOD charges for registration in the Sub-Registrar Office is around Rs 30,000/- were as it was only Rs 5,000/-. Based on the representations from Industries and trade associations, the government considered to retain this Rs 5,000/- upto December 2021.
We request the Minister to permently retain Rs 5,000/- only as the MOD registration charges.
INFRASTRUCTURE
10. AIRPORT EXPANSION PROJECTS
We thank the Tamil Nadu Government for releasing of Rs 1,132-crores towards completions to the land owners for airport expansion purpose. We request the government to speedily complete the disbursement of compensation and handing over the lands to the central government so that expansion works to be commenced.
This will facilitate landing of wide-bodied aircraft at Coimbatore airport.
11. RAIL
Coimbatore city circular train
For Coimbatore circular railways is needed to ease the load on roadways with minimum expenditure by using the existing infrastructure we could plan a good rail network starting from Irugur and passing through SIHS Colony, Peelamedu, Coimbatore North, Coimbatore Junction, Podanur, Nanjundapuram, Singanallur, Ondipudur and back to Irugur.
12. COIMBATORE MASTER PLAN
The Master Plan of Coimbatore has not been revised since 1994. The release of New Master Plan and Building Rules to be speeded up considering the present and future needs.
We thank the Chief Minister for taking up the Coimbatore Master Plan and fixing a time limit of 18 months for completing it.
We seek the support of Minister for inclusion of suggestions and comments from various stakeholders of Coimbatore for Master Plan.
13. IT PARK
Coimbatore is education hub with many institutions producing IT Professionals. Currently most of them are employed with large IT companies in South India.
Formation of an exclusive IT Park in the city will ensure greater employment opportunities and an impetus for institutions to produce more number of professionals.
14. ROADS
1. Four lanning of roads towards east from Karanampettai to Karur.
2. Four-lanning of Kovail Palayam to Bannari National Highway 948 with bypass for Annur, Puliyampatty and Sathyamagalam.
3. Full-fledged western bypass road connecting near Madukkarai and NSN Palayam in Mettupalayam road.
4. Coimbatore ring road to assist in reducing traffic volume in urban centre such as by offering an alternative rout around the city for drivers who don’t need to stop in the city core.
15. The requirements of “flyovers and roads in Coimbatore city” with the support of the state government.
The people of Coimbatore expect a well-developed transport infrastructure from the government. The second highest density of vehicle's in Tamil Nadu is at Coimbatore. The city and its suburbs are traversed using the road networks.
We give below the “projects required for Coimbatore.”
1. The Elevated highway on Avinashi road to be extended on the eastern side near KMCH beyond Chinniayampalayam, so that there is no bottleneck until the expressway at Neelambur.
2. A flyover with a grade separator on the Lawley road junction will ease the traffic congestion in the Marudhamalai road, Cowley Brown road and Thadagam road.
3. The existing road must be expanded for a distance of four kilometres from Central Theatre on Mettupalayam road till Pappanaicken Pudur (P. N. Pudur) on Marudhamalai Road. Most of the land belongs only to the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Forest College in this entire stretch.
4. Roads maintained by Local bodies that are leading to State Highways or National Highways must be handed over to the Highways Department who have the expertise to manage the same. This will also reduce the burden on the local bodies.
5. On Pollachi road the down ramp of the Ukkadam - Athupalam Flyover to be extended by 300 metres which in turn will avoid the traffic at the Podanur intersection.
16. The following projects need speedy implementation:-
1. Land acquisition for the western bypass road announced in 2010 state budget for a distance of 30-kms is yet to be completed. The three phase project implemented by State Highways Department when completed will be a big help for the thousands of people living in the western part of Coimbatore.
2. Funds allotted for the expansion of Sathyamangalam Road in Ganapathy to be distributed and the acquisition process may be completed. Then a proposal for an elevated highway for four kilometres until Saravanampatty could be prepared by the National Highways.
3. The process of building flyovers at Singanallur on Trichy road and at Saravanampatty on Sathyamangalam Road must commence at the earliest.
4. Progress of the works for the completion of Avinashi Road elevated highway and Ukkadam to Athupalam flyover to be taken up on time bound basis.
5. Two down ramps planned in the Gandhipuram flyover to be executed at the earliest for better utilisation.
We shall be grateful if the Minister considers our representation for favourable action, the press release read.