Inflated power bills have become one of the burning issues in AP now. Middle class families, who get Rs. 1000 bills, have got Rs. 5,000 bills. Even low income families getting Rs. 300 bills now got Rs. 3,000 bills. Amid this, Telugu Desam Party AP President K Kala Venkatrao has strongly objected to what he described as an ‘illogical’ and ‘irrational’ act on the part of YSR Congress Party Government. He said that it has put unbearable burden on the people in the form of inflated power bills during this Coronavirus epidemic lockdowns. The meter readings taken for two months simultaneously led to comparatively higher bills which became impossible for poor families to pay considering their already weakened financial situation.
In a statement here, Mr Venkatrao demanded that the Government immediately withdraw the latest current bills and reissue fresh bills by counting meter readings for the previous two months separately so as to rationalise slab rates. It was the Government’s failure not to issue manual bills last month for which the people were being punished for no fault of theirs. A family which gets Rs. 300 monthly bill, has now got Rs. 3,000 bill, which is highly objectionable and unbearable.
The TDP leader accused the Jagan Reddy Government of giving Re. 1 to poor people with the right hand while snatching away Rs. 100 from them with the left hand without any consideration. YSRCP came to power promising not to hike power bills during their door to door campaigns but now it has already increased bills twice. Since coming to power, the ruling party wasted its energy on spoiling the energy sector which is now causing heavy burdens on the people as a whole.
Mr. Venkatrao said that while previous Chandrababu Government overcame 22.5 million units deficit and revived the sector successfully, the present YSRCP government has created many crisis situations like cancellation of power purchase agreements (PPAs). While the AP power sector got awards at national level every year, now it is getting brickbats from all sections including the poor families. With his adamant and arrogant policies, CM Jagan is pushing the state into darkness.
