SAD, AAP flay Punjab power tariff hike, demand rollback

The hike in electricity charges will add to the woes of ordinary people who are already facing steep inflation SUKHPAL KHAIRA,

Leader of opposition

CHANDIGARH: The opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday flayed the 10% hike in power tariff in Punjab, announced by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC), and demanded its rollback.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said the Congress government had deceived the people by increasing tariff for both domestic and industrial sectors even as it promised to supply cheap power to all categories, including ₹5 per unit to industries.

Sukhbir said Amarinder Singh had made an announcement one month after assuming power that all consumers would be supplied power at the rate of ₹5 per unit. “However the government did not communicate this decision to PSERC. Instead ,the state electricity utility – PSPCL asked for an increase in power tariff. The same has been approved by the PSERC today.”

The SAD president said domestic consumers who had been promised cheaper power both before and after the assembly elections by the Congress have also been betrayed.

Leader of Opposition in Punjab assembly, Sukhpal Singh Khaira, said the state government should not implement this "huge retrospective" increase in power rates imposed by the regulatory body.

"The hike in electricity charges will add to the woes of ordinary people who are already facing steep inflation," he said, demanding rollback.