IT firms to get diesel for Rs 41 a litre

The Tamil Nadu government would refund Rs 10 for every litre of diesel bought by the IT companies in order to ensure that they spend only Rs 41 per litre for running their generators. The state is currently facing a power shortage and the IT companies have to depend on diesel to manage the show. They are buying diesel from Essar Oil for Rs 51 a litre.

Interacting with company representatives, KS Sripathi, state chief secretary, said the government was working out the modalities in this regard. The delegation met Sripathi with a five-point agenda — tariff difference between IT and ITeS companies, continuous supply of diesel, waiving infrastructure fee for SEZs, 10 per cent open space reservation in SEZs for general public and rail connectivity.

Though the state’s IT policy recognises IT and ITeS as the same, the TN Electricity Board charges IT companies under the industrial category and ITeS under commercial tariff, which is a difference of Rs 2 per unit.