Members of the Orissa Legislative Assembly cutting across party lines on Monday expressed concern over the recent increase in power tariffs across all categories of consumers.
They demanded the state government to file a review petition with the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC), a quasi judicial body that governs the state government’s energy policy, for rollback in the prices.
The Congress charged that the ruling BJD was “hand-in-glove” with the private power distribution companies “who influenced the OERC to increase the tariff rates to burden the consumers.”
Senior Congress leader and the Opposition chief whip Prasad Harichandan said the hike in power tariffs in the current summer seemed like “cruel joke on the hapless consumers who find it very difficult to pay their bill even at the current rates.”
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Jat stir to hit Delhi today
Age Correspondent
lucknow
March 21: Jats will now cut off supplies to Delhi and start demonstrations in the national capital from Tuesday. The community has also given a call for Delhi bandh on March 28.
Talking to reporters in Amroha, Mr Yashpal Malik, the president of the Akhil Bhartiya Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti, said that demonstrations will also be held on all railway stations in Uttar Pradesh but rail traffic will not be disrupted.
“We plan to concentrate in Delhi since our demand is to the central government. We will also seal off the borders in Delhi and make sure that no supplies reach the national capital,” he said.