YCP greed caused steep crisis in power sector: Venkatrao
Crisis despite Rs. 36,802 Cr burden via loans and hikes
AMARAVATI: TDP Politburo Member K. Kala Venkatrao on Monday expressed concern that the people of Andhra Pradesh were facing multiple problems like rising current bills and increasing power cuts because of the wrong policies of the YSRCP regime.
Venkatrao termed it as ‘laughable’ that the Government was asking people to reduce power consumption by stopping ACs at night and fans during daytime. No efforts were being made to increase power generation in the State. The Chief Minister’s greed for easy money and corruption at every level have pushed the power sector into debts. No wonder, the Government might even ask the people to eat only once a day since agriculture was stuck in a crisis.
In a statement here, the TDP leader said that the AP power sector got awards at the national level during the Chandrababu regime. But now, the entire power sector was stuck in an intractable crisis. The thoughtless policies of the YSRCP regime have caused irreparable damage. They have pushed the State into darkness. It was pitiable that the people were being asked not to use ACs from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The YCP rule has destroyed all sectors and all growth engines in the State economy.
Venkatrao recalled how Jaganmohan Reddy came to power by making a promise to the people that he would not hike power charges if voted to power. After becoming the CM, Jagan Reddy started breaking this promise as well. In the past two and half years of his rule, current charges were hiked for over 6 times. Jagan Reddy was proving time and again that he was not the kind of a leader to stick to his word.
The TDP leader said that the YCP rule so far imposed a burden of Rs. 36,802 Cr which included Rs. 12,311 Cr burden in the form of hikes in current charges and Rs. 24,491 Cr loans taken through the Power Finance Corporation. The CM was punishing the people for the mistakes his Government had committed in the power sector. The Government was not giving subsidies to the power sector companies properly.
Venkatrao deplored that the Chief Minister was ruining the power sector for the sake of his commissions. Power rates were coming down all over the country. It was now available just at Rs. 3.12 per unit. But still, Jagan Reddy was buying power in the open market at Rs 6 to Rs. 11 per unit. The consequential burden was being placed on the people. If the Government-owned power plants were made to generate power to their full capacity, then there would have been no need to buy power from the open market at high rates.
The TDP leader asserted that AP would have been in a position to sell power to other States if correct decisions were taken. There were no power cuts at all during the 5-year term of the TDP. Under the present Jagan rule, power cuts were happening every five minutes. The Chief Minister could not prove a single allegation with regard to the irregularities in solar PPAs signed during the TDP rule.
Venkatrao said that the TDP regime ensured uninterrupted power without hiking power charges during its term. Over 140 awards were given to the power sector at that time. Jagan Reddy has reversed all that and pushed the sector into debts.
