The Odisha Rajya Bidyut Upavokta Mahasangh on Friday demanded that the State Government publish a White Paper on the Gridco’s profit and loss, besides announcing a CAG probe into the whole transactions made by all the power distribution companies (discoms) since 1996.
“The State Government is planning to hike power tariff to nearly Rs 7 per unit as per the recommendation of the Odisha Power Transmission Corporation limited (OPTCl). The hike will be a heavy burden on the people. Hence, we demand that the Government publish a White Paper on the Gridco’s profit and loss before taking such an anti-people decision,” Mahasangh convenor Rabi Behera said.
Informing that a team of the Mahasangh has made a written appeal to the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) on Friday not to hike the tariff. Behera said, “We also demand that the Government order a CAG probe into the transaction made by the discoms since power reforms took place in State in 1996.”
Behera threatened the Mahasangh would gherao the OERC office on February 3 when the OERC is scheduled to begin public hearing on the OPTCl’s proposal of hiking tariff. The Gridco is purchasing power from the generating companies at Rs 3.01 per unit, including transmission cost of Rs 0.25 per unit. Now, it is selling power at Rs 4.66 per unit to the consumers and planning to hike it to nearly Rs 7 per unit, he informed.
“While people of Delhi, Haryana and Maharashtra, whose per capita incomes are much higher than those of Odisha, are paying far less power tariff, it is unfortunate that we are being burdened with more tariff,” Behera lamented. He also informed that the Mahasangh has sought time to meet the Chief Secretary and Energy Secretary on the issue on Saturday.