Delhi BJP leaders on Tuesday submitted a charge sheet to Lieutenant-Governor Tejendra Khanna alleging that the Sheila Dikshit Government was conniving with the private power distribution companies in unfairly raising power tariffs in the Capital.
A party delegation led by Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta demanded intervention of the Lieutenant-Governor over an amount of Rs. 1,000 crore which it claimed was charged in excess from Delhiites by the power companies in the current financial year.
In a press release, the Delhi BJP claimed that the Lieutenant-Governor took cognisance of the charge sheet and directed the Chief Secretary to immediately present a report on the tariff list of the power companies.
Regarding the removal of BJP hoardings from bus shelters, the BJP said the Lieutenant-Governor has directed the Commissioner of Delhi Police and the Municipal Commissioner to report on the matter separately.
The six-page charge sheet submitted by the BJP president alleged that the Chief Minister has been favouring the power companies and that the Delhi Government misused Section 108 of the Delhi Electricity Act and directed the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) on May 10 not to reduce the power tariff.
The charge sheet also said that DERC had sought legal opinion from the Solicitor-General who stated on May 18 that the Government had no powers to give such directions to DERC which are “ ultra vires and therefore void.”
The charge sheet also said that DERC reconsidered the request of the power companies for tariff revision but found that the profit of NDPL had increased by 176 per cent, of BRPL by 93 per cent and of BYPL by 831 per cent in financial year 2009-10 from 2004-05 in the case of NDPL and BRPL and from 2007-08 in the case of BYPL.
The delegation, which included Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly V.K. Malhotra, former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana and former Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan, also clarified that according to the National Power Tariff Policy, 2006, the returns of the power companies shall not exceed 16 per cent return on equity.
The BJP delegation expressed surprise that the Chief Minister acted in favour of the power companies and stalled the DERC move to reduce the power tariff which would have helped the common people.
