Oppn Slams AP Govt Over Proposed Power Tariff Hike

Amaravati: Opposition parties in Andhra Pradesh including YSRCP, CPI, CPI (M) and Congress have come down heavily on reported move to enhance power tariff by levying true-up charges to the tune of over Rs 9,000 crore notwithstanding the emphatic assurance by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu not to resort it in next five years.

The ruling coalition is under attack from various quarters with the AP Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) issuing an order on the Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment (FPPCA) true-up charges to the tune of Rs 9,412 crore instead of earlier proposed amount of Rs 12,844 crore. The proposal to collect Rs 12,844 crore was made by the distribution companies (Discoms) for the losses suffered in the past for a particular period with retrospective period. At a press conference in Visakhapatnam, YSRCP slammed the coalition government for hiking the power charges by going back on its election promises and demanded that the State bear the extra amount without burdening the people.