BJP Accuses Odisha Govt Of Providing Cheap Power To Tamil Nadu Against State Interest

Bhubaneswar: Alleging that power tariff in Odisha was among the highest in the country, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday accused the state government of providing electricity to Tamil Nadu at a cheap rate while burdening own people.

Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, state BJP spokesperson Satyabrat Panda said that consumers in Odisha are made to pay much more for electricity than in other states.

As per Power Finance Corporation (PFC), power tariff in Odisha is over 80 paisa costlier per unit compared to the national average though the state has abundant coal as raw material, he said.

“Power consumers are suffering because of corruption and mismanagement by the state government,” the BJP leader alleged.

Stating that Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) has set up a 3200 mw capacity power plant at Talabira in Sundargarh district, Panda said Odisha is supposed to get 50 per cent of the electricity produced in the plant.

However, the state is getting only 800 mw power from the plant, while 1500 mw is being supplied to Tamil Nadu at a very cheap rate, the BJP leader alleged.

Claiming that Tamil Nadu seemed to have held the Odisha government hostage, Panda sought to know as to why the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) is not stepping in to ensure fair allocation of power from the NLC plant.