Congress demands withdrawal of proposed power tariff hike

Congress demands withdrawal of proposed power tariff hike
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The Congress on Wednesday demanded that the State government give directions to Discoms to withdraw the proposed hike in power tariff. 

Hyderabad: The Congress on Wednesday demanded that the State government give directions to Discoms to withdraw the proposed hike in power tariff. Addressing a press conference at the Congress Legislature Party office here on Wednesday, the leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir strongly condemned the proposal sent by Telangana Discoms to the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (TSERC) seeking a 9.14% increase in the existing power tariff.

He said the move would put an additional burden of nearly Rs 2,000 crore on consumers. He reminded that the ruling TRS had assured in its election manifesto that there would be no hike during its five-year rule. “However, the TRS government has gone back on its words in less than two years whereas the previous Congress government did not hike the power tariff for full five years,” he compared.

“As the then Energy Minister, I had ensured that there was no hike in power tariff from 2004-2009. Despite having a huge deficit, we not only maintained the same tariff but also provided seven-hour uninterrupted and free power supply to farmers. However, the TRS government is neither providing proper power to farmers nor honouring the promises that it had made to the people on the power supply,” he said.

The Congress leader accused Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao of functioning like a ‘king’. “He wants to build a new home on 8.9 acres at the cost of Rs 35 crore. He wants a new Secretariat and Assembly buildings. He appears to be on ‘demolition mode’ and wants all old buildings to be razed and replaced with new ones. He is treating the State’s exchequer as his personal account,” he alleged.

“Families of Telangana martyrs are still waiting for the promised compensation. Farmers are committing suicides due to lack of assistance from the government. Students are suffering due to endless wait for clearance of fee reimbursement dues. Instead of behaving like a king, the Chief Minister should focus on the welfare of farmers and ensure 100 percent release of allocations for the welfare of different sections of the society,” he averred.

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