Move to impose Rs 8,114 cr burden on power consumers decried
CPM state executive member Ch BabuRao, party leaders and activists staging a protest against the proposed true-up charges on power consumers in Vijayawada on Friday Photo Ch Venkata Mastan
Vijayawada: The NDA government is poised to impose the burden of up to Rs 8,114 crore on the consumers in the name of true-up charges in spite of its assurances during the elections that it won’t increase the power tariffs.
CPM activists staged a dharna before the Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APCPDCL) here on Friday demanding the state government to desist from imposing true-up charges on people.
Addressing the gathering, CPM executive committee member Ch Babu Rao recalled that the YSRCP government collected exorbitant power tariff and the NDA assured people that it won’t increase the power tariff.
He also recalled that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu in a white paper elaborated how the YSRCP government indulged in corruption. However, the NDA government is also following the same path to burden people with Rs 8,114 crore in the name of true-up charges.
Babu Rao said that CPM raised objections in the public hearing of Electricity Regulation Commission (ERC) which wants people to pay Rs 1.27 on every unit of power consumed during 2022-23.
Already, the discoms are collecting Rs 1.03 per unit in the name of adjustment charge. In addition, another adjustment charge of Rs 11,000 crore would be imposed on people for 2023-24. In essence, the TDP-led coalition is going to impose Rs 20,000 crore on people. He said that the YSRCP government indulged in corruption and the TDP coalition is ready to legalise it.
The YSRCP government stopped power generation in the government sector and purchased power from private companies at the rate of Rs 8 per unit. The YSRCP government made an agreement with Adani Company to supply 7,000 mw solar power at the rate of Rs 2.49 per unit. Now it is Rs 6.09 per unit.
“Chief Minister Chandrababu said that it would burden people with Rs 60,000 crore in the next 25 years. However, the government is continuing the agreement for reasons better known to the power that be,” Babu Rao said and demanded the government to write a letter to the ERC not to impose the power burden on people and withdraw the proposal to impose burden on people in the name of adjustment charges.
CPM leaders D V Krishna, Donepudi Kasinath, Boya Satyababu, B Ramana, P Krishna, Chinna Rao, Kranti G, T Chandrasekhar, Y Subba Rao, Ramana, Ravindra, Murahari and others participated.