UP ministers draw more power than sanctioned

At a time when the entire Uttar Pradesh is facing a serious power crisis, leading to frequent power cuts, the ministers and officials in the Yogi Adityanath government have been found to be drawing more power than required.

The power department has now drawn up a list of ministers and officials who are consuming power much in excess of the load sanctioned to them.

UP minister Siddhartha Nath Singh, who was recently in the news for eyeing the bungalow vacated by former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, has a sanctioned power load of 2.29 kilowatt for his 19 Gautam Palli bungalow but the minister has been found to be consuming up to 23 KW every month. Another minister Dharam Singh Saini is using 26 KW every month against the sanctioned load of 2.94 KW while minister Chetan Chauhan was found to be consuming 21 KW against a sanctioned load of 2.64 KW.

UP minister for parliamentary affairs Suresh Khanna consumes 17 KW against the sanctioned load of 10 KW while minister Satish Mahana consumes 19 KW against the sanctioned load of 10 KW.

Other ministers who have been found to be drawing in excess of the sanctioned load include Swami Prasad Maurya, S P Singh Baghel, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Suresh Rana, Surya Pratap Shahi, Satyadev Pachauri and Moti Singh.

Some officials, who are on post retirement assignments, have also been found defaulting on this issue.

— PTI Union minister Maneka Gandhi with her son and BJP leader Varun Gandhi arrive to pay tribute to Sanjay Gandhi on his 38th death anniversary at his memorial in New Delhi on Saturday.