It’s unfair to make entire city pay for BEST’s losses, says energy minister

Representational image.

After the BEST approached the MERC seeking to impose Transport Deficit Loss Recovery (TDLR) charges on all electricity consumers of BEST, Reliance and Tata Power in the city, energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said it’s unfair to make all the Mumbaikars pay for BEST losses.

Bawankule said the government was not in favour of recovering losses of BEST’s transport wing by levying charge on all Mumbaikars.

He also dismissed reports the TDLR would come into force from April. “There will be no changes in electricity charges in Mumbai till MERC decides on the issue. All three companies have approached the MERC for increasing the tariff,” he said.

Earlier MLC Narendra Patil had urged the government to intervene in the issue so that there will be no burden put on citizens to pay Rs 1,689 crore loss suffered by the BEST’s transport wing.