Maken says Delhi govt's claim of lowest power tariff 'misleading', AAP rebuffs

Delhi Congress leader Ajay Maken on Thursday accused the Kejriwal government of "misleading" residents with claims that power tariffs in the city were the lowest in the country, a charge rubbished by the AAP.

Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said the Congress leader was "lying" at the behest of the BJP and levelling baseless allegations.

Giving an elaborate presentation to the media and members of resident welfare associations here, Maken, who served as Delhi's power minister in 2001-03, claimed that the Average Billed Rate (ABR) in Delhi in 2018-19 was more than in many other state.

"In 2018-19, the ABR in the national capital was Rs 8.45 as compared to Rs 7.36 in 2013-14. Thus, the power tariff increased by Rs 1.09 in the last 5 years," he claimed, citing data from various sources, including the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Authority(DERC).

"Average Billed Rate (ABR) is the total revenue earned divided by the total units of power supplied or the actual amount paid by the consumer per unit. ABR includes fixed charges and variable charges. It may or may not include various surcharges," the Congress leader said.

"On account of increase in the tariff, the discoms collected Rs 9,999.25 crore extra in the last five years," he claimed.

In his response, Singh said, "Ajay Maken has raised baseless questions. It is a lie. His claim that per unit cost of electricity is Rs 8.45 in Delhi is wrong. Either he does not read newspaper or he is not aware of Delhi government's work. Or he is acting as BJP's spokesperson and spreading lies. The way he has justified Gujarat and Maharashtra's power tariff, it seems that BJP has used him as their spokesperson."
Singh responded to the claim, saying, "He has nowhere to hide because his own government brought the private discoms to Delhi. After the AAP government came to power in Delhi, electricity tariffs have been consistently reduced since 2015 every year. In 2010, the electricity used to cost Rs 539 for 200 units and in 2013 it increased up to Rs 988. Can Maken explain how a 100 per cent hike took place in the Congress regime?"