Pooh-Poohing the State Government’s claims on the self achieved ‘zero cut status’ in electricity sector, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing and Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee President Charandas Mahant accused the Government of misleading the masses on the power front.
Taking at the face value Government’s claim that from January 2008 there has not been power cut in the State and the administration was able to supplying power round the clock, Mahant not only termed it a complete lie but also a bid of the chief Minister to claim undue credit.
Mahant charged that while the State Government was claiming zero power cut, in villages people were vexed by undeclared power cuts and even resorting to gherao electricity offices. On the one hand, BJP has been promising in its poll manifesto to provide free power to irrigation pumps of farmers in the State and now the Government led by BJP has restricted the free power consumption to 7500 units but charging hefty bills in the name of Metre charges, fixed charges, power fee etc and disconnecting the power supply on non payment of bill.
The Government has also collected Rs 252 crore, 63 lakh extra from power consumers through double taxation, Mahant alleged and demanded that the same amount needed to be returned to them.
He also accused the State Government of charging bills from Below Poverty line families even if the same (free single connection) facility was provided to them during Arjun Singh and Digvijay Singh regimes.
But now the State Government by limiting free consumption to 30 units, charging hefty sums from them. The Government should stop this dual treatment with the poor, Mahant demanded.