To protest the proposed power tariff hike for the 2016-17 financial year, the Odisha Rajya Bidyut Upabhokta Mahasangha (ORBUM) would hold a public hearing and stage a three-day dharna in front of the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) office here from Thursday.
The body also called upon the consumers to abandon the public hearing to be held by the OERC from Thursday.
At a Press meet here on Wednesday, Mahasangha president Panchanan Kanungo said, “Odisha was the first State in brining reforms to the power sector and privatising it after borrowing funds from the World Bank in 1990. Odisha people were assured of quality and reliable electricity at affordable price. The interest rate of the World Bank fund has increased three fold. Hence, the power companies are trying to put the debt burden on the gullible customers by increasing tariff in the 2016-17 financial year.”
ORBUM advisor Rabi Das alleged that due to the privatisation in power production, distribution and collection of bills, the franchisees have been exploiting the consumers. Private companies like the AES and the Reliance have duped the consumers of around Rs10,000 crore.
The ORBUM placed a seven-point charter of demands, including immediate collection of the unpaid Rs5,538 crore from the Discoms, CAG audit of the annual budgets of these companies and withdrawal of the proposed power tariff hike.
Among others, ORBUM convenor Rabi Behera, Congress spokesperson Sulochana Das, TMC State president Aryakumar Jnanendra and CPI(Ml) leader Radhakant Sethy were present.