Energy minister promises reliable power, no tariff hike

Nellore: Assuring consumers that there would be no further increase in power tariffs and that quality electricity would be supplied to every village under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), minister for energy Gottipati Ravi Kumar on Tuesday said the coalition government is committed to protecting public interests while strengthening the state’s power infrastructure.

The minister said the government, under the leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, is ensuring uninterrupted and reliable power supply without placing any additional financial burden on consumers.

He alleged that the previous YSRCP government had increased power tariffs nine times without optimally utilising available power resources, resulting in an extra burden of nearly Rs 30,000 crore on the public.

Ravi Kumar was speaking after inaugurating two new 33/11 KV power sub-stations in Nellore district, one at Panchedu village in Buchireddypalem mandal, constructed at a cost of Rs 3.3 crore, and another at Kudithipalem village in Indukurupeta mandal under the Kovur Assembly constituency, built at a cost of Rs 3.61 crore. He said these substations would significantly improve voltage stability and ensure uninterrupted power supply to farmers and residents.

Speaking of RDSS programme, the minister said three-phase power supply is being extended to every village and assured that all eligible farmers would be provided agricultural power connections at the earliest.

Referring to the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Ravi Kumar said the coalition government is fully committed to safeguarding the interests of the plant and its employees. He clarified that power dues amounting to about Rs 600 crore were kept pending solely to protect workers’ welfare, though it had an adverse impact on APEPDCL’s ratings. He accused a section of the media of spreading misleading narratives on the issue.

The minister announced that discussions would soon be held to fill nearly 500 assistant engineer posts in the energy department and reiterated the government’s commitment to providing employment to 20 lakh youth.

He also revealed plans to establish a new sub-station near the Nellore Kisan SEZ, set up a DE office in Kovur constituency, and construct 10 to 12 additional sub-stations in the district to address low-voltage problems.

Later, Ravi Kumar reviewed ongoing power development works and directed officials to complete RDSS and PM Surya Ghar projects by March with strict adherence to quality standards. He also called for timely sanction of agricultural connections, public awareness on smart meters, coordination with police to prevent transformer thefts, and enhanced safety measures to avoid electrical accidents.

Nellore MP Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, Kovur MLA Vemireddy Prasanthi Reddy, Nellore city in-charge Mayor Roop Kumar Yadav, coalition leaders and senior officials attended the programme.