Cong MLA to 'sit with begging bowl' for power tariff reduction

New Delhi, Aug 12 (UNI) Close on heels of plea by some distcoms to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Corporation (DERC) seeking a hike in power tariffs due to shortfall in their revenues, Congress MLA Mukesh Sharma will sit on an agitation at Delhi Secretariat from tomorrow to demand immediate reduction in domestic power tariff.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Sharma, who is also the chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Board, said he was taking this step after his repeated requests to DERC for not entertaining BSES's petition, seeking a hike in power tariffs, were turned down.

Mr Sharma said he also sent a cheque of his salary amount, to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, to be passed on to the power companies to make up for their "fabricated" shortfall in profits but it was returned to him.

This, he said, has forced him to sit on an agitation with a begging bowl to raise funds for the distcom.

Mr Sharma said a large number of people have pledged their support to the agitation against distcoms and said the public can contribute cheques for the "Distcoms relief fund".

He alleged that the private power companies had made huge profits during the last five years, half of which (as per an agreement with the Delhi Government) should have been shared with the consumers to provide them relief.

But the power companies pocketed the entire amount without giving any relief to the consumers.

If these companies were running at a loss, as they claim, then they should quit the power distribution in Delhi, Mr Sharma said.

Condemning the double standards of the BJP in their approach towards the power companies, he alleged that the party was acting in league with the power companies instead of protecting the interest of the common man.

UNI