Power tariff hike inhuman, says SUCI(C)

Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) has strongly condemned the power tariff hike in the State, which is scheduled to be implemented retrospectively from April 1 itself, terming it inhuman.

In a press release here on Thursday, Dharwad District Secretary of SUCI(C) Ramanjanappa Aldalli has said that the decision to hike power tariff by an average 30 paise per unit and increase deposit is nothing but another blow to the people who have already lost their source of income due to COVID-19-induced lockdown.

“At a time when there are instances of abolition of payment of power and water bills to mitigate the sufferings of the people, the decision of the State government to implement the power tariff hike that too with retrospective effect is highly condemnable,” he said.

KERC should have asked electricity supply companies to take stringent steps to check revenue pilferage, corruption, unnecessary expenditure and transmission and distribution losses. “The State, on the one hand, is giving a pittance as relief and on the other, it is imposing further burden on the people through a hike in power tariff and petrol prices,” he said.

Mr. Aldalli said: “If such is the power tariff situation, though it is under government control, imagine what will happen if it is privatised. One of the demands of farmers agitating on the borders of New Delhi for the last six months is that privatisation of electricity should be dropped. The people of the State should support farmers in their agitation.”

SUCI(C) will urge the State government to immediately take steps to stop the power tariff hike order from implementation. Otherwise, the people will be forced to take the path of agitation, he said.