BRS blows a fuse as govt plans to hike power tariff

Hyderabad: The BRS party has opposed the tariff hike proposed by Discoms from Rs 10 to Rs 50 a unit after 300 units of consumption and bringing all commercial consumers under one tariff.

Stating that this was a dangerous proposal, the party leaders, led by working president KT Rama Rao, met the ERC chairman. He raised concerns that the tariff hike proposed by the government could impose a burden of Rs 18,500 crore on people. He urged the ERC to reject the proposals put forth by the government through Discoms. Rao said the nine proposals made by Discoms would severely impact the financial well-being of people, warning that it would push ordinary households into financial distress. KTR pointed out that grouping all industries under a single category for tariff purposes was an ill-conceived and unfair idea, which could harm the industrial sector. "Telangana’s industrial sector is already under strain. Even Foxconn, a leading tech company, has not mentioned Telangana in its expansion plans, favouring Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh,” he said, attributing this to the government's misguided policies. He said some industries have already shifted out of Telangana since the Congress administration took office.

Rao recalled that during KCR's administration, similar proposals for tariff hikes were rejected. "When Discoms proposed a hike for a True-Up charge of Rs 1,200 crore, KCR ensured the government absorbed the cost without burdening the public." He warned that increasing electricity charges could halt the State’s progress. The ERC has scheduled a public hearing on October 23, where KTR’s team plans to present their arguments against the proposals.