Delhi BJP demands immediate roll back of power tariff hike

Senior BJP leader V K Malhotra, terming the tariff hike as "atrocious", said the increase in rates reflected "total insensitivity" on the part of the Delhi government towards the plight of the common man who are already battered by high inflation.

He said BJP will hit the street on June 29 to press for an immediate rollback of the hike and launch a drive to collect around 10 lakh signatures opposing the tariff hike.

Addressing a joint press conference with Malhotra, Delhi BJP chief Vijender Gupta alleged the city government of putting pressure on regulator Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission to hike the rates to benefit the discoms.

"The Chief Minister has been favouring the companies from the very beginning," Gupta said, pointing that city government had exercised a special power in May, 2010 restraining the DERC from announcing a cut in tariff by around 25 per cent.

Gupta said BJP workers will also approach each and every citizen urging them to paste a little poster having a punch line 'I oppose the tariff hike' on their houses, business premises, cars and bikes.

"Why is the government so sympathetic towards the discoms? The tariff was hiked by 22 per cent in August. Then in January, the BSES was given a bailout package of Rs 500 crore and now again the tariff has been increased," he said.

Alleging that all the discoms were "looting" the consumers, Gupta said considering the huge cash reserves of the discoms, the DERC headed by Berjinder Singh in 2010 had proposed a 25 per cent cut in tariff. (More)