BHUBANESWAR: Immediate hike in power tariff in the State by Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) for the year 2012-13 is totally anti-people, alleged Samruddha Odisha at a Press meet here on Wednesday.
The party said Odisha was a surplus State in power sector, but now it became a power deficient State. Electricity generation is gradually decreasing day by day, it shows the lackadaisical attitude of the Government towards power sector, it added. It may be noted that from the year 2001-02 to 2010-11, power tariff was stable, but recently the OERC decided to hike the power tariff.
In 2004-05, to meet the State demand, 57 per cent electricity was generated from hydropower projects which decreased to 27 per cent now. The party also criticised the use of electricity for agriculture purpose in State which is very negligible 2 per cent against the national’s 28 per cent and against 40 per cent of the States like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Haryana. Neighboring State Governments have been providing power subsidy to the farmers, but our State Government is yet to think about the use of electricity in agriculture field, the party added.
The party also said the Government has not invested in the power sector of the State within 12 years, even development of infrastructure and modernisation work of the machineries in power sector yet to be taken up. Generation of electricity has not increased from the year 2000, which clearly shows the attitude of the Government for the development of the State, alleged the party.
Every year, people of the State face natural calamity like flood, drought and untimely rain which weakens the people. On the other hand, the hike in power tariff is nothing but adding salt in the wound of the common people, said Samruddha Odisha president Dr Jatish Chandra Mohanty.
Among others, former Minister Bhajaman Behera, Odisha Communist Party president Ajay Rout and Rashtriya Janata Dal president Harish Mohapatra were present.
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