The city traders, industrialists and also members of Opposition political parties protested against the hike in power tariff on Wednesday. The protesters took out a procession on the streets of Ghaziabad and finally staged a dharna at the District Collectorate.
Traders' union leader Gopi Chand alleged that the hike in power tariff at the rate of 35 to 40 per cent is unbearable for the traders, who are already reeling under severe market depression. The hike is also, ethically, not justifiable since the tariff regulatory commission included all the power theft in the new tariff plan and distributed equally among all consumers. "If power is stolen from a furnace in Muzaffar Nagar, then why a consumer here will be responsible for the theft. But, this is what is happening in Uttar Pradesh," said Chand.
While the traders organised a dharna, the Congress leaders, including former Minister Satish Sharma, former MP Surendra Prakash Goel and former MlA Surendra Kumar Munni took out a procession and reached the Collectorate. The Congress leaders alleged that the State has passed through a phase of severe recession under the Samajwadi Party's rule and immediately after that the heavy burden of increased power tariff is being imposed on the innocent consumers.
"When the State is not in a position of supplying the power throughout the day, it has no moral authority to increase tariff. In this scorching heat, the Trans Hindon areas of the city are reeling under 10 to 12 hours of power cut. But, the consumers are forced to pay the minimum bill on the model of regular power supply.
Hence, the State is charging the power bill from the innocent consumers without even supplying power to them. It is cheating in strict legal terms," said Satish Sharma, who had been Power Minister in the past.