After winning Jalandhar LS bypoll, AAP hikes electricity charges in Punjab
Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 May, 2023 11:41 AM
Chandigarh, May 15 (IANS) Just two days after winning a Lok Sabha bypoll with focus mainly on its people-centric schemes, including free electricity of 300 units every household, the AAP government in Punjab on Monday announced the new electricity tariff with a per unit increase ranging from 25 to 89 paise for domestic and commercial consumers.
The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has issued the new tariff for those who consume more than 300 units per month and for the non-residential sector that does not get any subsidy.
As per the new tariffs, which will come into effect from May 16, the charges for those having a load of up to 2 KW have been revised to Rs 4.19 per unit for the first 100 units (an increase of 70 paise per unit), Rs 6.64 per unit for 101 to 300 units (an increase of 80 paise per unit), and Rs 7.75 per unit for above 300 units (an increase of 45 paise per unit).
For those having a load between 2 KW and 7 KW, the existing charge is Rs 3.74 per unit for the first 100 units, Rs 5.84 per unit for 101 to 300 units, and Rs 7.30 per unit for above 300 units. Whereas, the new tariff will be Rs 4.44 per unit, Rs 6.64 per unit, and Rs 7.75 per unit for the first 100 units, 101 to 300 units, and above 300 units, respectively.
In the industrial category, the tariff has been increased from Rs 5.53 to Rs 5.67 per unit for those consuming up to 20 KVA.
Justifying the hike, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the revised tariff would not impact the common people. The increase would be borne by the government.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal said the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had mastered the politics of lies and deception by invoking a massive power hike across all categories of consumers immediately after winning the Jalandhar by-poll.
Demanding an immediate withdrawal of the back breaking hike, the SAD president said "AAP has penalised Punjabis for reposing faith in the party and betrayed their trust".
In a statement here, the SAD president said "AAP contested the Jalandhar by-poll by showcasing its 300 units free power scheme. Even that has been effectively dismantled with today's power hike. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's contention that the Punjab government will subsidise consumers for the additional cost borne by them while availing the 300 unit's free scheme by paying the same to PSPCL is an eye wash.
"The government already owes Rs 20,400 crore to PSPCL and is in no position to take on an additional burden."
Badal said "the AAP government has increased the power tariff of all categories, including the lowest brackets. In fact, the increase has been the most for the lowest categories with consumers in the zero to 100 units facing an increase of 70 paise per unit and those in the 100 to 300 unit category facing a hike of 80 paise per unit."
Asserting that the common man would be most affected, Badal said: "AAP has shown its true colours. It has proved that it cannot be trusted. It deliberately postponed the power hike till after the Jalandhar parliamentary by-poll and is again lying to consumers that it will subsidise the weaker sections. If it aims to do so then why has it imposed this hike in the first place?"
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, in a tweet, said: "As per the provisions under the Constitution of India, the following Additional Judges are appointed as Permanent Judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court: Vikas Bahl, Vikas Suri, Sandeep Moudgil, Vinod Sharma (Bhardwaj), Pankaj Jain, and Jasjit Singh Bedi."
Throughout his political career, Badal, who had once compared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to former US President Abraham Lincoln, had always expressed "immense satisfaction and pride" over the strong and principled stand taken by his party "to save the beleaguered peasantry and the country".
Special judge M.K. Nagpal of the Rouse Avenue Court will now pronounce the order on April 28. On April 18, he had reserved its decision on Sisodia's bail plea. The court had, a day before, extended Sisodia's judicial custody by two weeks in the case.
A man was held at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here for smuggling 1,010 gm gold worth Rs 54,25,205, an official said on Wednesday. The accused couldn't produce any document for carrying such a large quantity of gold.
Just after receiving the message the police informed senior officials, including ADG, law and order and ADG, intelligence. Amid the Chief Minister's zero tolerance policy for crime and operation bulldozer to demolish criminals' ill-gotten property, the threat has come as a big challenge for security officials.
The evacuation process named Operation Kaveri, started on April 23, as apart from INS Sumedha, two Indian Air Force aircraft were sent to bring back Indian citizens stuck in Sudan's capital Khartoum, where civil war broke out on April 15 after its army and paramilitary forces clashed with each other.
