Call the bluff and blackmail by Reliance- CPI

New Delhi, Apr 13 (UNI) Concerned over the worsening power situation in the capital, CPI today demanded the restoration of the Delhi Vidyut Board and annulment of the privatisation agreement.

"The two Reliance Discoms operating in Delhi have demanded a further dose of subsidy from the Delhi government, failing which they will further increase power tariff," CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said in a statement.

Mr Bardhan, who is also the president of All India Federation of Electricity Employees, said it should be remembered that'' a subsidy of Rs 3450 crores was already paid to Reliance when two sectors of the DVB had been handed over to them, in course of privatisation.'' This subsidy, Mr Bardhan said, was meant ''for five years starting from 2002-03 but the companies managed to eat up the amount within three years. Therefore they again managed to armtwist the state government into giving them an additional subsidy of Rs 90 crores per year. The government was never as liberal with the DVB and had continued to blame it for accumulated losses." The CPI veteran said since the privatisation of the Vidyut Board ''there had been annual tariff hikes. The cumulative effect of these hikes in the domestic sector during 2002-03 to 2005-06 had been between 76 per cent and 33 per cent depending on the consumption.'' He said an ''additional burden of Rs 300 crores on the consumers is being imposed due to the unfortunate decision of the Supreme Court allowing depreciation of more than 7 per cent instead of the 3.8 per cent as before to these Discoms.'' Consumers in Delhi are everyday facing repeated and prolonged powercuts and blackouts in addition to back breaking burden of high tariffs, Mr Bardhan, the veteran Communist and freedom fighter said.

" Poeple feel enough is enough. The government must take the last step, call off the bluff and blackmail by Reliance, annul the privatisation agreement and restore the DVB, while also reforming its functioning," Mr Bardhan added.

UNI