Gottipati Ravi Kumar Criticizes YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s Power Sector “Tughlaq Acts”

Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh Energy Minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar stated that former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has reached another milestone in his “Tughlaq acts,” alleging that Jagan himself initiated protests against the electricity charges he had previously proposed to increased. the Minister accused him of burdening the people with his ill-advised decisions during his tenure.

“From Power Surplus to Deficit”

Minister Ravi Kumar stated that when the Telugu Desam Party handed over power in 2019, Andhra Pradesh was a power surplus state. However, Jagan’s government turned it into a power deficit state within five years due to poor decisions and corruption. He claimed that Jagan cancelled power purchase agreements, threatened solar and wind energy investors, and drove them out of the state, causing the loss of 10,000 MW of renewable energy.

“Destroying AP Genco”

The Minister also accused Jagan of ruining AP Genco named for power generation. He alleged that in the name of addressing a power deficit, Jagan’s government purchased electricity at inflated prices—between Rs. 8 and Rs. 14 per unit, while it was available at Rs. 5 per unit. These overpriced purchases, he said, were made to benefit close associates and earn commissions.

Burden of True-Up Charges

Minister Ravi Kumar highlighted that true-up charges approved by the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) during Jagan’s tenure have now become a heavy burden on the people. These charges amounted to:

• Rs. 3,082 crore for 2021-22

• Rs. 6,073 crore for 2022-23

• Rs. 9,412 crore for 2023-24

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The Minister revealed that APERC was required to issue the final order on the true-up charges within 90 days of filing. In fact, DISCOMs had filed the Q4 charges for 2022-23 in May 2023, meaning the commission should have issued the orders by August. For 2023-24, DISCOMs filed the charges in May 2024. However, the implementation of these charges was postponed to avoid backlash before the elections. Eventually, the charges were approved, increasing the financial burden on citizens.

“Hypocrisy in Protests”

Minister Ravi Kumar called Jagan’s protests against electricity tariff hikes hypocritical. “Jagan himself created this crisis with his policies, and now he is staging dharnas to mislead the people. What else can this be called but a Tughlaq act?” he asked.

The Minister assured the public that the current government is taking steps to fix the damage caused by the previous administration and to ensure transparency and accountability in the power sector.