SAD slams govt over power tariff hike, seeks rollback

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 25

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the Congress government for affecting “18th power tariff hike in less than three years”, saying this would further burden the common man and make the industry unviable in the state.

In a statement, former minister Sikander Singh Maluka said with an additional power tariff hike of 36 paise per unit, which included additional electricity duty, the domestic consumers would have to pay Rs 8.37 per unit, while the industry would be charged Rs 7.85 per unit.

Stating that this was a betrayal of the promises made to the people, Maluka said Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had promised to reduce domestic power tariff after taking over the office and had even promised power at a landing cost of Rs 5 per unit to the industrial sector. He claimed power tariff had risen by more than 30 per cent ever since the Congress government came to power and that the common man would not be able to bear this burden. He said the industrial sector had been made unviable by repeated tariff hikes and now there was no hope of fresh investment in the state.

Maluka said this was not all. Scheduled Caste and Backward Class consumers were also facing the brunt of power tariff hike the most.

“These consumers are being presented with inflated bills with the government removing subsidy for BC consumers and not honouring the commitment made to the SC consumers,” he said.

‘Promise not kept’

Stating that it was a betrayal of the promises made to the people, former minister Sikander Singh Maluka said Capt Amarinder Singh had promised to reduce domestic power tariff after taking over the office and had even promised power at a landing cost of Rs5 per unit to the industrial sector.