BJP, AAP protest power tariff hike in UP

The proposed power tariff hike, to be effective from July 1 across Uttar Pradesh, evoked stiff opposition on Saturday from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the state.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday blamed the "faulty policies and short sightedness" of the Akhilesh Yadav-led Uttar Pradesh government for the power mess.

"On the one hand the state government in the last three years has failed to provide adequate electricity to people. On the other hand, they are imposing a steep power tariff hike on the state. The BJP will do all it can to get the decision deferred," party spokesman Manoj Mishra said.

The party has also demanded that the Samajwadi Party government make public the list of major defaulters and explain why power thefts had crossed a staggering Rs.5,000 crore in the state.

Added to it, Mishra said, power rates have been hiked by over 50-60 percent in the SP regime.

The AAP staged protests in Lucknow demanding that the 17 percent hike in the power rates should be rolled back.

Party spokesman Vaibhav Maheshwari told IANS that the party would not relent till the proposed hike was withdrawn. The party also took out a 'shav yaatra' (funeral procession) of the power department at Shakti Bhavan, the power utility headquarters.