Delhi BJP demands immediate rollback of power tariff hike

New Delhi: Accusing Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit of favouring private power distribution companies, Delhi BJP today demanded immediate rollback of the 26 percent tariff hike and announced an agitation to press for it. Senior BJP leader VK 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 29 June 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. [caption id=“attachment_359458” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Reuters”]  [/caption] “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 percent. 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 percent 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 percent cut in tariff. PTI