Akhilesh Yadav government is going for steep hike in power tariff

Akhilesh Yadav government is going for steep hike in power tariff in the state even as the people are reeling under severe power cut leading to power riots in many places in which people set transformers and sub-stations on fire.

The Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation limited (UPPCl) has already hiked the power surchage on electricity bills by 2.84% in the state and now increase in power tariff will add salt to peoples’ wounds.In the new tariff proposal made by UPPCl for 2014-15 to the UP Electricty Regularity Commission, though there is no hike in the fixed charge but the unit usage by the consumer in tariff rate has been decreased.

Presently, domestic consumer is paying Rs 4 per unit up to 200 units but in the new proposal it is just 100 units. Consumer is paying Rs 4.50 per unit between 201 to 500 units but now they will have two blocks, first Rs 4.50 per unit from 101 to 300 units and Rs 5 between 301 to 500 units.The domestic consumer is paying Rs 5 per unit above 500 units of consumption but in the revised rate Rs 5.50 per unit will be charged above 500 units.

The new power tariff proposal also reduced rate of Power to the BPl category of consumers of Rs 2.20 per unit up to 100 units to 50 units.The new rates would be applicable after the Regularity Commission hears the peoples views on the matter. Meanwhile BJP and Congress have criticised the proposed hike in power tarrif in the state.BJP spokesperson Vijay Bahadur Pathak said here today that the ruling Samajwadi Party is punishing the people for not supporting them in the lok Sabha election. ‘UP government has no moral right to hike power tariff when they are not able to provide electricity to the masses,’ he said

Pathak said that UP government should first improve its power supply and then only go for tariff hike. UP Congress spokesperson Amarnath Agarwal, however blamed both the BJP government at the Centre and the SP government in UP for the power crisis and hike in the tariff.‘People are yet to get the respite as promised by the BJP during the elections while the SP government is hell bent upon imposing new taxes on the people and increasing the existing ones after their lok Sabha debacle.

On the other hand the state is reeling under scute shortage of power and against the demand of over 14000 megawatt, the state was enable to supply just over 10, 000 mw. Almost all the cities were witnessing power cuts between 4 to 10 hours daily while in the rural areas power is being supplied just between 4 to 12 hours. Officials said that the power situation would only improve once monsoon arrives in the state later this month.