Delhi Congress has expressed surprise as to why AAP Government has not challenged in the Supreme Court the Appellate Tribunal order to increase power tariff to compensate for perceived losses suffered by the power distribution companies (discoms).
The party also blamed the Centre and the city Government for the financial crisis in the BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC), saying it was the “needless tussle” and “turf war” between the two that has resulted in the present financial impasse.
Addressing a Press conference on Monday, Delhi Congress chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee wondered why the AAP Government was shying away from filing an appeal before the vacation judge in the Supreme Court against the Appellate Tribunal’s order for power tariff hike, following a petition filed by the power companies citing losses.
She said before the Delhi Assembly elections, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the discoms had fudged their balance sheets by showing losses, and on the basis of the same, manipulated balance sheets.
The power companies approached the Appellate Tribunal for increasing the power tariff in Delhi to make up for the losses they have been suffering. The discoms had claimed that their power purchase cost (i.e., the cost of electricity they buy from generating companies for distribution among the consumers) should be adjusted by hiking power tariff in Delhi.
The Appellate Tribunal, accepting the discoms’ plea, gave its ruling on May 27, directing the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to hike power tariff in Delhi by 20 per cent within three weeks. Mukherjee said such decisions will have long-term ramification on the consumers as power consumption will become beyond their means.