Sunday, 28 APRIL 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The leader of opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly, Yashpal Arya has said that the State government should reconsider its decision of increasing the power tariff in the State. He said that the BJP government of the State continues to load the people with misery and create a hole in their pockets. Arya said that the hike of seven per cent in power tariff will have a direct impact on 22 lakh consumers of the state. Apart from increasing the tariff the government has also increased the fixed charge which means that the consumers have been hit by double whammy on the power front. He said that it is surprising that the hike has been affected from April 1 but the announcement was made on April 26 which is unjustified. This was probably done to ensure that the anger of people on power tariff hike does not get reflected in polling for Lok Sabha.
Arya said that the power tariff of the domestic consumers has been increased from Rs 3.40 to Rs 7.35 per unit. “The common man is already reeling under inflation and a hike in power tariff is bound to upset the household budget,’’ he said.
He added that on one hand Uttarakhand is providing electricity to other states at cheap rates but on the other the double engine government is providing the most expensive electricity to the consumers in the State.
“ It is unfortunate that the productivity rate of the country is continuously going down due to decreasing income and demand but the power tariffs are continuing to increase. The hike in power tariff will also drive investors further away from the State. It will also put the burden of inflation on the hardworking people of the state and their lives will become even more troubled and painful. In such a situation the government should immediately roll back the hike in power tariff,’’ he said.
