Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy alleged that the there was huge scam, to the tune of Rs 4000 to Rs 5000 crore in the power being purchased by the state government. participating in the debate on the power the opposition leader wondered as to why the state discoms were purchasing expensive power from the private producers when it is available at cheaper rates in power exchange.
Submitting details of the cost of the power, he said, power rates were falling in India. Quoting a letter written by National Energy Exchange to Andhra Pradesh Energy Regulatory Commission (APERC), Jagan said power was available at the rate of Rs 2.71 round the clock and at Rs 1.90 during nights. But Andhra Pradsh government, according to Jagan, had purchased the power from private producers, at the rate of Rs 5.11. Jagan said this anomaly was not his discovery, it was pointed out by National Energy Exchange in its letter to the APERC. Protesting the state government’s attempts to hike the power tariff, the opposition leader said, people were being forced to pay more because of the power purchase scam. ” This situation would have never arisem if the government had purchase power from the energy exchanges,” he said.
Reiterating the scam charge, he recalled how YS Rajasekhar Reddy managed the power sector without resorting to the power hike. Tariff was not hiked even for once during the six years, YS R was in power, Jagan said. ” During his 9 year period betweem 1994 and 2004, as chief minister Chandrababu Naidu hiked the power tariff nine times and three activist died in the police firing when they took to streets opposing the power tariff,” he said.
Replying debated on behalf of chief minister, who looks after power department, youth affairs minister Atchannaidu dismissed what Jagan said as trash. He dared Jagan to arrange power at the rates he was quoting from the so called letter from Nation Energy Exchange. The state was passing through power crisis because of the policies perused by the previous Congress government, the minister alleged. Jagan advised Atchannaidu not speak lie at least on his birthday.
