TDP demands government to drop move to hike power tariffs

Mangalagiri: TDP national spokesman K Pattabhi Ram on Tuesday strongly objected to the proposed hike in power charges by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government at a time when the common people were suffering financially on account of the coronavirus impact and reduced incomes.

He termed it as unacceptable and inhuman on the part of Jagan Reddy to resort to three hikes in power charges in just two years of his regime. Whereas, the previous Chandrababu regime did not hike a single paisa throughout its five year rule and the TDP had also promised in the 2019 election that it would not impose any further power burden on people.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, the TDP leader said that the discoms (power distribution companies) had got an order from the Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) to increase up to 50 paise per unit in the name of the fuel and power purchase cost adjustment (FPPCA) every three months. This was aimed at filling a gap of Rs 2,000 crore every year and this burden was going to be imposed on people.

Pointing out that the Jagan Mohan Reddy regime had not made any effort to collect Rs 5,732 crore dues from the Telangana government, Pattabhi Ram recalled that the Chandrababu government filed a case in the National Company Law Tribunal for the collection of Rs 5,732 crore power dues from Telangana. The Chief Minister should explain why he was not going ahead with this case, he said.