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CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy misleading PM on coal, power: PAC chief
TDP MLA Payyavula Keshav
Assembly Public Accounts Committee chairman Payyavula Keshav on Saturday said that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was bent on spreading misinformation after pushing the surplus power sector of Andhra Pradesh into a severe and intractable crisis.
Amaravati: Assembly Public Accounts Committee chairman Payyavula Keshav on Saturday said that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy was bent on spreading misinformation after pushing the surplus power sector of Andhra Pradesh into a severe and intractable crisis.
Keshav questioned the rationale behind the Chief Minister writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi instead of taking corrective measures to prevent the impending collapse of the power sector. Jagan's letter contained total lies with regard to the coal crisis and power demand. The Chief Minister should rather explain why his government was buying power in the open market at very high prices at the expense of the state thermal plants. As a result, these companies stopped coal imports which precipitated this crisis, he said.
Addressing a press conference at TDP state office here on Saturday, the PAC chairman accused the CM of pushing the surplus power sector in AP into an unforeseen turmoil. The State Government was not paying Rs. 20,000 crore dues towards subsidies and bills. The AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) was not taking any action in this regard. On the other hand, Rs. 50,000 Cr current burdens were being placed on the ordinary public in the name of true-up charges and the like.
Keshav termed it as unfortunate that the Chief Minister referring to increased post-Covid power demand in Europe and China. But the fact was that the power consumption in AP was going along the projected figures. There were no new industries and agricultural consumption was also lesser. The sudden attempt to project overnight increase in demand was only to divert the attention and shift blame to the Centre. The Chief Minister cannot shirk his responsibility for the thoughtless policies that ravaged the power sector.
The PAC chairman asked why Jagan Mohan Reddy was not using his so-called good relations with the Telangana government for coal supplies if there was really an emergency like situation of drying up stocks in a day or two. He said Jagan should now explain to the people why his regime was going to buy 10,000 mw from Adani company. Keshav also questioned the role being played by the APERC in the ongoing destruction of the power sector in the state. What was APERC doing when the state government was not paying Rs 12,000 crore dues to the discoms towards subsidies, he asked.
