Poll pitch over power privatisation in Kota
Privatisation of power supply in Kota city has become an election issue, with Congress leaders promising that the system will be ended if their party forms government in Rajasthan.
BJP leaders have said the former Congress government gave the sanction for privatisation of power.
During the Vasundhara Raje government, the responsibility of power supply to the city was given to private company Kota Electricity Distribution Limited (KEDL), a subsidiary of the Calcutta Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC), in September 2016. Ahead of the December 7 assembly polls, the company is facing political heat from opposition and ruling party leaders.
“We will discontinue privatisation of electricity supply in Kota and pack the company off after the Congress returns to power in the state,” said Shanti Dhariwal, former Congress urban development and housing minister. He is the Congress candidate from Kota (North).
He alleged that KEDL was collecting “high electricity bills” from the families in three assembly constituencies -- Kota (North), Kota (South) and Ladpura -- after installation of “fastrunning smart meters” in the city. “Privatisation of electricity and improper functioning of the private company will remain a major poll issue.”
The Congress and traders’ associations had organised a Kota bandh earlier this year in protest against the functioning of KEDL.
Kota (North) BJP MLA Prahlad Gunjal said Dhariwal and the Congress were misleading people as the agreement for privatisation of power supply was signed in 2011 when the Congress was in government. “Any agreement done by the previous government is bound to be obeyed by the next government. The BJP government was helpless over the years.”
Gunjal said the former Congress government had left behind power debts worth Rs 80000, which the BJP government was clearing. “If any movement is launched against the private power supply company, then I will certainly support it.”
Other BJP leaders -- Kota MP Om Birla and Kota (South) MLA Sandeep Sharma -- have also criticised privatisation of power supply.
There are around 1.25 lakh power consumers in Kota city, said KEDL officials. They refused to react to the political slugfest over power privatisation.
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