The Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA) has expressed profound disappointment and shock over the recent order passed by the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) on power tariff. Prashant Mohota, President of VIA, said, “It is highly unfortunate that the Commission has chosen to rubber-stamp and enforce the exact same anti-industry tariff structures that were previously finalized in the illegal review order dated June 25, 2025.”

 

The June 2025 order was quashed and set aside by the Bombay High Court for blatantly bypassing the mandatory public consultation process. Following the courts’ directives, a fresh public hearing process was initiated. During these hearings, VIA and numerous other stakeholders submitted extensive, logical, and data-backed representations. However, these public hearings appear to have been merely a procedural formality. MERC has entirely ignored the logical objections raised by the consumers, prioritizing the discom’s revenue gaps over the survival of industries in Maharashtra.

 

VIA highlighted that the claim by MSEDCL that power tariff has not increased through the order, it is important to check the final total power tariff inclusive of Fixed Demand Charges, Fuel Adjustment Cost (FAC) and Tax of Sale of electricity (TOS) and not just the base tariff. Effectively the landed cost of power has become more than Rs 11 per unit for industrial connections too. Commenting on banking related issues,

 

VIA said that the open access concession in solar O A (open access) will be adversely affected due to change in use of banked power. Earlier, the banked power was allowed to use for 17 hours of day. But in the tariff order it has been reduced to 8 hours (9.00 to 5.00 pm). This dispensation is applicable from retrospective effect of July 2025 and a huge amount will be debited to all the solar O A consumers, which will make the process absolutely unviable. “We urge the Chief Minister of Maharashtra to kindly intervene and help the industries to sustain its operation,” Prashant Mohota said.