BJP Demands Rollback Of Power Tariff, Threatens Statewide Agitation In Odisha

Bhubaneswar: The BJP on Thursday staged a demonstration in front of the office of Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC), here in protest against the hike in power tariff.

The party leader Jagannath Pradhan and president of Bhubaneswar BJP organisational district Babu Singh said when the livelihood of the people of Odisha is at stake due to COVID-19 pandemic, the state government has dealt another blow by increasing the power tariff.

Alleging that the OERC in collusion with the state government increased the power tariff, the BJP leaders demanded immediate rollback of the decision failing which they threatened to launch a statewide agitation.

Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Panchanan Kanungo also condemned the “unilateral decision” of the OERC and questioned its basis.

“Around 22 per cent of total power consumption in Odisha is obtained from hydropower and 10 per cent from the solar energy. Taking all forms of power production and purchase into consideration, the unit cost will not exceed Rs 2.80. When the cost of power production is so less, why the OERC increased the tariff in the transmission and distribution (T&D)?” Kanungo wondered.

Stating that the government is yet to collect the pending dues of about Rs 2000 crore from the power distribution companies (Discoms) and about Rs 4000 crore from the big companies, he said the OERC should come up with a clarification in this regard.

In a statement, Energy Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra said after seven years, the power tariff in Odisha has been increased by only 4 per cent. Taking note of the rise in the cost of expenditure in the production, transmission and distribution, OERC has decided to hike the power tariff, he added.