BJP holds protest against conditions stipulated for free power

‘BJP was a holding a symbolic protest against the conditions stipulated for the ‘Gruha Jyothi’ Free Power Supply Scheme for domestic connections in the State,’ said Mr. Srivatsa

BJP workers holding a demonstration near the party office in Chamarajapuram on Tuesday in protest of the conditions stipulated by the Congress government for free supply of power. | Photo Credit: M.A. Sriram

The BJP held a demonstration in Mysuru on Tuesday against the Congress government’s decisions to stipulate conditions for supplying free power.

Krishnaraja Assembly constituency MLA T.S. Srivatsa said the BJP was a holding a symbolic protest against the conditions stipulated for the ‘Gruha Jyothi’ Free Power Supply Scheme for domestic connections in the State.

Though the Congress had given a “guarantee” of providing 200 units of free power to every household before the elections, the party’s government, after taking over the reins of administration, had begun imposing conditions.

Name problem

The government has not only stipulated that each household’s eligibility for free power will be restricted to the monthly average consumed over the last one year, but also that restricted the availability of the scheme to just one meter connection in the name of a consumer irrespective of the number of connections in her or his name.

Mr. Srivatsa said several poor families had built more than one dwelling on small dimension sites of 20x30 or 30x40 sq.ft for rental income and the electricity meters of all the dwellings were in one name. The electricity meters of all the dwellings will invariably be in the name of the owner and not the tenants, he lamented.

The conditions had been stipulated only to deny the poor people the promised free 200 units of power supply, Mr. Srivatsa said.

Second day

The demonstration on Tuesday near the party office in Chamarajapuram in Mysuru was the second successive day of protest by the BJP, which had on Monday alleged that the restriction of free power to the last 12 months average, had poured cold water on the plans of several poor families that were planning to buy geysers, mixers and grinders. The condition will restrict the free supply of power to only around 70 to 80 units against the promised 200 units, the BJP alleged.

The BJP workers participating in the protest on Tuesday also demanded the resignation of Energy Minister T.J. George for cheating the general public with a false assurance while shouting slogans against the Congress government.