Former Minister Kakani Govardhan Reddy criticized Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for betraying the public once again by preparing to impose a burden of Rs 8,100 crore through increased electricity charges and demanded that the government reconsider its decision to hike power tariffs.
Speaking to the media in Guntur, Kakani reminded that during the elections, Chandrababu had promised not to increase electricity charges and to remove true-up charges. However, now he is denying any such promises. Kakani also pointed out that the white paper released on the power sector was full of lies and said Chandrababu is misleading the public, calling him the “brand ambassador” of betrayal. He added that the TDP coalition government had failed to fulfill its election promises and had instead burdened the people since coming to power.
Kakani expressed concern over the impending burden of Rs 8,100 crore through the ‘Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment’ (FPPCA) charges, pointing out that distribution companies (DISCOMs) were already facing transmission and distribution losses ranging from 7.99 per cent to 10.99 percent.
This would result in an additional cost of Rs 4.14 to Rs 6.69 per unit for four quarters, significantly impacting the public He also reminded the public that in 2014, when the TDP government came to power, DISCOMs were in a loss of Rs 4,315 crore, but by 2019, that figure had ballooned to Rs20,000 crore. He added that the previous government had cleared Rs 43,744 crore in unpaid dues related to free electricity, which had accumulated under Chandrababu’s administration.
