Delhi BJP launches “Bijli Andolan”, Massive “Bijli rally” at Ramlila Grounds on 11 August

• Get ready for power shock of more than 200%, Delhi govt sold out interests of common people to DISCOMS
• Power subsidy is sham, yet another way of filling DISCOM pockets with public money
• 22 lakh households to get affected by recent power tariff hike

New Delhi, July 27 : The Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party today announced the launch a city wide agitation against unabated increase in power tariffs making power consumption increasing unaffordable for all sections of society, especially the poor and the middle class. The party will hold a massive rally on the issue at Ramlila Ground on 11 of August. The party will hold candle light marches all over the city tomorrow including the one in front of Delhi CM’s residence and that will be followed by agitation at the local level by the party at District and Mandal levels.

Announcing the launch of the BJP agitation at a press conference, the Delhi BJP President Shri Vijay Goel said, “The common people of Delhi are bearing the brunt of a complete sell out of their interests by the Congress government of Delhi and DERC to the private DISCOMS. It is shameful that the government instead of protecting the interests of common people working in hand in glove with the private DISCOMS. The Delhi BJP will not tolerate this. We are very clear about this that instead of increasing power tariff, there is an immediate scope of reducing the power tariff by atleast 30%.”

The recent 5% tariff hike has resulted in an increase of 72% in power tariff over the last two years which is unparalleled and completely unjustified.

“In fact the hike announced yesterday is just tip of the iceberg. The DERC and Delhi government are getting ready to dole out Rs 19,505 crore as outstanding regulatory assets (claims by the private DISCOMS which will be charged from the common people through hike in power tariff.) This would translate into a hike in power tariff of more than 200%. The Congress government has just postponed this hike till assembly polls to contain backlash from common people. But it has officially accepted this suggested 200% hike and this will be implemented immediately after assembly polls,” Shri Goel added.

Here are some of the key facts :-

•  From 2002-11, the DISCOMS claimed regulatory assets worth Rs 7232 crore. Out of this Rs 6919.04 were approved by the DERC and Delhi government. Out of this, last year Rs 928 crore were doled out to DISCOMS. This led to 15% tariff hike.
  
  
• From 2011-13, the DERC and Delhi government accepted claims of a bailout package for DISCOMS for Rs 12,586 crore.
  
  
•  Through 8 % surcharge imposed on consumers to dispose off these regulatory assets for year 2012-13, Rs 1228 crore have been recovered by DISCOMS through this surcharge.
  
  
• That still leaves us with 18277 Crore outstanding claims of DISCOMS from 2002-13.
  
  
• If doling out Rs 927 crore resulted in 15% tariff hike, that clearly implies that to dole out the rest of Rs 18277 crore there has to be more than 200% hike.

Shri Goel said, “This outstanding balance is based on the figures provided by DISCOMS. No cross verification has been done by the DERC. Why there is no independent verification of these figures which are clearly fudged to benefit the DISCOMS?”

“When DERC did not have data from DISCOMS from 2007-2012, how did it provisionally approve these regulatory assets through statutory advise,” asked Shri Goel.

“The Power Purchase agreements of the DISCOMS are not made public. It is on basis of these PPAS that the DISCOMS are claiming losses and the DERC and Delhi government introducing power tariff hikes. Why these agreements are not made public so that everyone can see what is the reality ?”

Shri Goel said, “There is complete lack of transparency and the Delhi government and the DERC have become stooges of the DISCOMS. The ultimate sufferer is the common man.”

The biggest evidence of this “Crony governance model” of Delhi government is the fact that while a 5% tariff hike has been announced even though the DISCOMS had asked for hike of 1.8% and the NDMC had sought a hike of o.83%.”

Blasting the Congress government over announcement of providing subsidies, Shri Goel said, “The public money is used for subsidizing and in the garb subsidy this amount is also going into the pockets of the DISCOMS robbing public exchequer of thousands of crores of rupees over the last few years.”

Commenting the recent power tariff hike, he said, “There are 25 lakh domestic meters in the city. Out of them 22 lakh consume more than 200 units and above. All of them will be severely affected with immediate effect. Thus the promise of subsidy by Delhi government is a sham.”