BJP opposes proposal to hike power, water tariffs

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, April 1

Activists of the BJP today staged a protest against the state government’s proposal to hike power and potable water tariffs in the state.

BJP Shridev Suman Nagar Mandal activists gathered at Dilaram Chowk and burnt the effigy of the state government. The protesters raised slogans against the state government. They alleged that the state government had not taken any steps to provide potable water facilities in the remote areas of the state. According to them, villagers were forced to traverse several kilometers to quench their thirst.

Speaking on the occasion, RS Parihar, president, Shridev Suman Nagar Mandal, expressed concern that residents living in different cities of the state were facing the brunt of erratic power cuts. He said all those villagers who were living in remote areas were the worst sufferers as prolonged power cuts had made their lives miserable.

Parihar said the state government should improve the basic facilities before giving its nod to hike power and potable water tariff.

Parihar said the scarcity of potable water had become a perennial problem in slums and villages in every district of the state. General secretary Poonam Nautiyal, Surendra Rana, councillors Bhupinder Kaithat, Roshan Bala Thapa and Saroj Panwar, Neeranjan Dobhal, Sameer Dobhal, Mohit Jaiswal, Subhash Nautiyal and others were present.

Meanwhile, workers of the BJP city unit held a protest against the state government and burnt an effigy of the Chief Minister at Lansdown Chowk here today. They demanded to rollback the decision to hike water and electricity bills. The members of the BJP’s city unit alleged that the state government had overburdened the common man by imposing 5 per cent surcharge per month in delay bills.

Earlier, BJP workers burnt the effigy of the Chief Minister and raised slogans against the state government. City president of the party Neelam Sehgal said the state government had shown their “insensitive behaviour” by raising the price of the basic commodities.

She threatened to intensify the protest if the government failed to rollback the decision. The protesters threatened to intensify their protest if the state government allows tariff hike.

The protesters included Harish Narang, Amit Rana, Sushma Kukreti, Sanjeev Sharma and Gaurav Chauhan.