CM joins power struggle, says more you use, more you pay
30 March 2013 6:38 AM IST
The power struggle in Delhi intensified on Friday, with Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit taking potshots at her detractors for allowing hike in power tariff. ‘People will try to instigate you saying that these (power) bills are inflated. But I would say you one cannot compare bills for 24 hour power supply to that of eight hours supply,’ Dikshit said after inaugurating a road project in Ballimaran area of the walled city. Ballimaran is presented in the assembly by power minister Haroon Yusuf.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal is on an indefinite fast for last seven days protesting ‘inflated’ power and water bills. The Delhi BJP has also upped the ante against Dikshit, alleging that power tariff in the city was being hiked frequently at her ‘behest.’
Countering the charge, Dikshit said, ‘More you use power, higher the bill you pay.’ Earlier, Dikshit’s comment that people should cut power consumption on various electrical appliances if they cannot afford high electricity bills evoked sharp criticism.
‘There are a lot of youths here who don’t even know that there used to be 8 to 9 hours power outages in Delhi. We decided to fix the problem,’ Dikshit said. The tariff was hiked by up to three per cent last month. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission is again considering a hike in tariff.
Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel has announced that tariff will be cut by 30 per cent if the party comes to power in assembly polls scheduled to be held in November. But Dikshit pointed out that street lights in north Delhi were cut off earlier this week due to non-payment of dues by the BJP-ruled municipal corporation. ‘See what could be the situation. Due to non-payment of dues to the tune of around Rs 43-45 crore, the power supply to street lights has been snapped. These street lights are not for personal use but to ensure security. But they say, we will not pay the bill. Why won’t you pay? Do you have scarcity of funds, no they don’t,’ she said.
Referring to Kejriwal’s appeal to people not to pay water and power bills, Dikshit said consumers have not heeded the appeal.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal is on an indefinite fast for last seven days protesting ‘inflated’ power and water bills. The Delhi BJP has also upped the ante against Dikshit, alleging that power tariff in the city was being hiked frequently at her ‘behest.’
Countering the charge, Dikshit said, ‘More you use power, higher the bill you pay.’ Earlier, Dikshit’s comment that people should cut power consumption on various electrical appliances if they cannot afford high electricity bills evoked sharp criticism.
‘There are a lot of youths here who don’t even know that there used to be 8 to 9 hours power outages in Delhi. We decided to fix the problem,’ Dikshit said. The tariff was hiked by up to three per cent last month. The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission is again considering a hike in tariff.
Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel has announced that tariff will be cut by 30 per cent if the party comes to power in assembly polls scheduled to be held in November. But Dikshit pointed out that street lights in north Delhi were cut off earlier this week due to non-payment of dues by the BJP-ruled municipal corporation. ‘See what could be the situation. Due to non-payment of dues to the tune of around Rs 43-45 crore, the power supply to street lights has been snapped. These street lights are not for personal use but to ensure security. But they say, we will not pay the bill. Why won’t you pay? Do you have scarcity of funds, no they don’t,’ she said.
Referring to Kejriwal’s appeal to people not to pay water and power bills, Dikshit said consumers have not heeded the appeal.
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