CPI-M state secretariat member Ch Baburao on Friday asked the Andhra Pradesh government to withdraw the Rs 8114 crore burden put on the people in the name of true up charges in the electricity bills. He led a protest at the APCPDCL office in Vijayawada on the day against the collection of true up charges.
Baburao said that the TDP leadership headed by N Chandrababu Naidu had promised not to increase the power tariff in the state. They have also promised to keep the power charges under control during the elections. However, after coming to power, they have imposed the true up charges, he said.
He said that the government is asking people to pay Rs 1.27 paise per unit for the power consumed during 2022-23. These charges are being collected now, he said. In addition to this, the government is planning to impose Rs 11000 crore as adjustment charges for 2023-24, he said. This all would amount to Rs 20,000 crore burden on the people, he said.
He said that the YSR Congress government between 2019 and 2024 had paid Rs 1234 crore to the Hinduja company despite the company not producing power. He wanted the TDP government to cancel this payment and recollect the money from the Hinduja company instead of putting burden on the people.
The government also purchased 7,000 mega watts electricity from Adani company at Rs 2.49 paise for unit. However, now the government is paying Rs 6.02 per unit, he said. This would cost Rs 60,000 crore on the people and Chandrababu Naidu himself had admitted it. He wondered why the NDA government is continuing this agreement. He asked the Chandrababu Naidu government to cancel this agreement and save Rs 60,000 crore from the exchequer.
The government was fixing meters to the agriculture connections. Baburao alleged. He said that the government was also fixing smart meters and prepaid meters to the consumers. The government had not paid subsidy to the farmers. All power distribution companies were in losses, because of the policies of the successive governments, he said. He asked the governments to clear the subsides to the distribution companies and stop collecting money from the consumers.
CPI-M senior leaders D V Krishna, Donepudi Kasinath, Boya Satyababu, and others were present in the protest.
