Raipur: Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha has opposed the increase in electricity rates under the guise of VCA. Kisan Sabha has said that including this increase, there has been an increase of Rs 1.24 per unit so far in this financial year and this will worsen the condition of the people. With this increase in electricity rates, inflation will also increase rapidly.
In a statement issued here today, Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha President Sanjay Parate and General Secretary Rishi Gupta said that in the name of power reforms, cross subsidy for the common people is being abolished on the one hand and on the other hand, the burden of corruption and failures of power companies is being imposed on the public. Government departments and private industries owe thousands of crores of electricity bills, instead of recovering it, the common people has been burdened in the name of rising coal prices. Overall, there has been an increase of more than 34% in electricity tariffs in this financial year so far.
He said that in this financial year, the power rates were increased by 10 paise per unit in April, then in July the electric energy charge was increased by 12 paise per unit, then in August by 30 paise per unit in the name of imported coal, then In October, VCA has been increased by 23 paise and now by 49 paise per unit. Thus, in the last 9 months, the electricity rates have increased by Rs 1.24 per unit. This increase has resulted in an average burden of Rs 124 per person and Rs 620 per family per month, which is beyond the economic capacity of the poor people. It is worth mentioning that the average monthly income of 90% families in the state is less than Rs 10,000 and their household budget has increased by more than 50% in the last two years due to inflation.
Kisan Sabha leaders said that with these hikes in electricity rates in the name of VCA, the importance and relevance of the Electricity Regulatory Commission has ended. Kisan Sabha has appealed to the state government to withdraw this increase immediately in the interest of the common people of the state.
