INLD stages protest in Panchkula against power tariff hike in Haryana

Chandigarh, Jul 1 (PTI) The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) on Tuesday staged a protest in Panchkula against the recent power tariff hike in Haryana with the party demanding that the government rollback the increased rates.
    Braving inclement weather, a large number of INLD workers, including several women, gathered in Panchkula and staged a demonstration near Shakti Bhawan - the electricity department's office.
    The power tariff of various categories has been revised from April.
    The state government maintained that the tariff increase has been "minimal and moderate" and has trashed as "misleading" the claims suggesting that electricity bills have increased up to four times. INLD workers, meanwhile, raised anti-government slogans demanding rollback of the hiked power rates.
    Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the protest, INLD president Abhay Singh Chautala, who was accompanied by state unit chief Rampal Majra and party MLAs Aditya Devi Lal and Arjun Chautala and women wing state in-charge Sunaina Chautala, alleged that every section of the state is unhappy with the government, be it employees, farmers, labourers or traders.
    At the time of polls last year, the BJP made a slew of promises to various sections, which are yet to be fulfilled, he said.
    "It is a matter of great surprise that Power Minister Anil Vij is saying that no power rates have been hiked during the BJP regime whereas these have been increased on four occasions. This time, a three-fold increase is being seen when people have got their power bills.
     "In 2015, we had launched a two-month long protest against the increased power rates, which the BJP government was later forced to rollback," Chautala said.
    He said that raising the voice of the people against the government is prominently the job of the main opposition party Congress "but the Congress is in cahoots with the BJP".
    "The Congress party has been exposed and today if the common man trusts any political party, it is only and only the INLD party," he said.
    Chautala warned that if the hiked electricity rates are not rolled back, "the INLD will take a decision and fight this battle until the government rolls back the increased rates." Meanwhile, according to a government statement, this is the first tariff hike since FY 2017-“18, introduced after a gap of seven years, despite a consistent rise in power procurement costs and operational expenses.
    "It is highlighted that the ability to keep tariffs unchanged for nearly a decade was made possible due to enhanced operational efficiency and strict financial discipline. Over the past decade, from FY 2014-15 to FY 2024-25, AT&C (Aggregate Technical & Commercial) losses have been significantly reduced from 29 per cent to 10 per cent," the statement said.
    The government statement added that recently, "some misleading claims have suggested that electricity bills have increased up to four times. These claims are not correct at all.
    "Electricity bills should be evaluated against the same month of the previous year, as this accounts for similar consumption patterns. The tariff increase has been minimal and moderate."

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)