Residents flay state govt for hike in power tariff

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, April 26

Residents of the town have criticised the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (PSERC) decision to hike power tariff by 2.17 per cent, besides increasing the fixed electricity charges for all consumers.

They said instead of putting burden on the common man, the state government should reduce its own expenditure.

Bhupinder Singh, owner of a steel factory, here, said, “Before coming to power, the Congress made tall promises, including reducing the burden of the common man by providing power at affordable rates, setting up industries in the state and proving employment opportunities to the youth. Now after one year, it has failed to provide any relief to people. The state government has put additional burdened on the residents by levying more taxes.”

“The common man is bearing the brunt of ill-conceived policies. The situation won’t normalise and we will be harassed more if we go to government offices to seek an explanation for this accounting exercise,” he added.

Another resident Palak Sethi said in the one-year rule, the Congress government had done nothing except for putting burden on the common man in the form of various taxes and tariff hike. The power tariff hike for the third time in a year would crush the poor and middle class and power would definitely go beyond the reach of the poor, she added.

A student, Inderpreet Kaur, said, “Firstly, I have failed to understand why professional and development tax have been imposed by the Congress government. It is totally condemnable and now, the latest announcements of have upset the monthly budget of the middle class families. The government should immediately rollback its move as it is not justified.” 

Condemning the Congress Government for “failing to provide any relief” to the people in the state, 45-year-old Jaspal Singh said, “It is the first government in the state which has imposed additional burden in the form of two per cent hike in the municipal tax, 9.3 per cent power tariff hike on the recommendations of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission, five per cent increase in power tariff in the budget session and now a 2.17 per cent hike.”

Though every section was expecting some relief, but instead, the government had put burden on people by imposing new taxes and hikes in power tariff time and again in just one year, he added.