Chennai, Sep 11 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu power loom owners association is planning to conduct major protests against the hike in tariff rates that came into effect from Sunday.

Somanur Power Loom Units Association treasurer, E. Bhoopathy told the media persons that the industry was already reeling under the effect of Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown and hike in cotton yarn prices.

He said that the power tariff hike would adversely affect their business and said that 95 per cent of power loom units in Coimbatore and Tiruppur were into job works.

The job working power looms come under the category of Tariff 3A2 which has a 70 paise per unit hike after the tariff revisions announced by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC).

The association of power loom owners had earlier petitioned the state government and the TNERC against the hike.

The Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Micro Enterprises (TACT) has also come out strongly against the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission (TNERC) over the announcement of power tariff hike, even after hearings were conducted by the commission.

The association said that the hike in power tariff would affect the MSME industry which was slowly limping back to normalcy after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, the PMK has come out strongly against the hike. Party state president, Dr. Anbumany Ramadoss told the media persons that it would conduct a series of agitations across the state against the hike.

PMK called upon the Chief Minister M.K. Stalin to either roll back the hiked tariff rates or to face a series of agitations in the streets.