Plea to withdraw Mangalore electricity supply co's proposal to hike power tariff hike
Mangaluru: The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has requested Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa to withdraw the proposed hike in electricity tariff by Mangalore electricity supply company (MESCOM).
In a letter to the Chief Minister, KCCI president Isaac Vas said Mescom's decision to increase power tariff by Re 1 per unit was 'shocking.'
The move will badly affect the consumers of DK, Udupi, and Shivamogga districts, he added.
The increase will be a blow to the MSME sector, the second-largest employment generator after agriculture, and acts as a breeding ground for entrepreneurs and innovators with considerable support in strengthening business ecosystems, Vas said.
In Dakshina Kannada alone, over one lakh people are employed in this sector while the large industries employ less than 10,000 people.
The countrywide lockdown dragged MSME owners, employees, and other stakeholders to unexpected repulsions.
After the lockdown period, MSMEs face challenges relating to debt repayments, wages and salaries, and statutory dues.
The MSME sector will completely collapse if the tariff hike is implemented, he said.
The KCCI requested that Mescom reduce its distribution losses and overheads instead of putting an additional burden on the consumers.
MSMEs are struggling to revive operations after the pandemic and the severe slowdown in the economy, Vas said in the letter.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
