BJP stages Dharna against Power Tariff hike in Odisha

The Odisha unit of the BJP on Friday staged a Dharna in front of the Raj Bhawan demanding immediate rollback of the he power tariff hike, announced by the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) on Monday.

Hundreds of party workers along with senior leaders squatted in front of Raj Bhavan and shouted slogans against the decision of power tariff hike. The party is scheduled to submit a memorandum to Governor SC Jamir today.

“The Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) decision to hike power tariff is anti-people and against the interest of the poor farmers. Where domestic and commercial consumers would have to shell out 20 paise more per unit of consumption, farmers would pay 40 paise more per unit.  This is against the interests of the people in the state”, BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said.

“We are here to give vent to the public anger on the issue. GRIDCO has outstanding dues of around Rs.5000 pending on Reliance towards bulk power purchase. Instead of recovering it from the defaulters, why is the government passing it on to the consumers? The government should withdraw the power tariff hike with immediate effect or else the agitation will be intensified,” BJP leader Bhrugu Buxipatra said.

“The state government is yet to recover the arrears of Rs 7,098 crore pending for long on Reliance Infra, which managed power distribution in the state through three distribution companies (discoms)– Nesco, Wesco & Southco till recently. The government has to initiate stringent action against the officials who helped the companies to defraud the people of the state”, he added.

As per the power tariff revision, a consumer will pay 20 paise more per unit, while 40 paise more per unit will be charged for the agriculture sector.