BJP MLC bats for “flat rate” electricity for east UP weavers

AROUND 3 LAKH WEAVERS ARE IN VARANSAI DISTRICT ALONE AND THEY HAVE BEEN DEMANDING ELECTRICITY ON FLAT RATE FOR THE LAST ONE YEAR

VARANASI : A day after meeting Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd officials in Varanasi, senior BJP leader and MLC Ashok Dhavan on Thursday called upon UP power corporation officials in Lucknow demanding “flat rate” electricity bill for weavers of Varanasi and adjoining areas, said Kashi region BJP spokesperson Navratan Rathi.

In the meeting, Dhavan said electricity bills should be charged from weavers as per flat rate until the government order comes in this regard and also the electricity connections of powerlooms, whose bills have not been paid, should not be snapped.

There are around 3 lakh weavers in Varansai district alone and they have been demanding electricity on flat rate for the last one year.

The flat rate scheme for the weavers was started in 2006 under which weavers used to pay Rs 75 per month per powerloom.

But in end of 2019, the scheme was scrapped and a new format launched in which weavers got fixed units of electricity on subsidized rates and thereafter they had to pay bill as per normal rates.

This has put an additional financial burden on the weavers already facing crisis due to the raging pandemic.

In a meeting with electricity department officials at circuit house, Varanasi on Wednesday, Dhavan said after agriculture and weaving were the main sources of livelihood for a large number of people in several districts of Purvanchal and the Covid-19 crisis had badly hit their business.

“With normalcy returning gradually, the weavers were trying to get their business back on track. But in meantime, weavers’ power connections were disconnected due to non-payment of electricity bills,” he said.

Dhawan said he had spoken to chief minister Yogi Adityanath in this regard last year following which announcement was made to charge flat rate electricity bill from weavers.

“But due to delay in arrival of government order, a situation of confusion arose,” Dhawan said.

Executive engineers of the electricity department said, “We are given daily target of revenue collection due to which we are forced to take action against defaulters.”

Dhavan also took up the issue with director commerce, power department, OP Dixit.

According to Rathi, Dixit had accepted that the exercise was going on at government level to implement flat rate electricity for weavers and until the government order is issued, the weavers should be charged Rs 143 per kilowatt per month.

According to weaver and social worker Saif Ansari, under the new scheme each weaver would have to pay an amount of over Rs 1,500 per month per powerloom and the amount may go up further putting an extra burden on their livelihood.