Dehradun: Yashpal Arya, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, stated that the Energy Corporation Board has passed a proposal for a 16.23% increase in electricity rates. This clearly indicates that electricity consumers will be severely impacted in the coming days. He stated that the general public is already suffering from the impact of inflation. A significant increase in electricity bills is bound to disrupt household budgets.
Arya stated that the BJP government’s approval of the electricity rate hike is a completely anti-people decision. This will further increase the burden of inflation on the hardworking people of the state, making their lives even more distressing and painful. He stated that Uttarakhand is known as the Energy State, but it is unfortunate for Uttarakhand that the residents who sacrificed their villages, cities, and culture for the construction of power projects are now being forced to purchase expensive electricity.
The Leader of the Opposition urged the government to first provide quality electricity. Neither is adequate electricity being supplied nor is maintenance being provided. In such a situation, the proposal to increase tariffs is meaningless. The government should immediately reconsider this. He said that while the country’s productivity rate is continuously declining due to declining income and demand, electricity rates in the state are rising. Businesses and the public are all distressed. The increase in electricity rates in Uttarakhand will further deter investors.
Arya said that the fact that senior officials of the Energy Department are purchasing electricity at exorbitant prices is a matter of investigation. Despite Uttarakhand being an energy state, this is a mockery of the people here, raising serious questions about the government. Following the continuously rising prices of cooking gas, petroleum products, and food items at the national level, the state government’s proposal to increase electricity tariffs burdens the public with the double burden of inflation.
The Leader of the Opposition said that the people of the state no longer want the kind of development from a double-engine government that allows the government to rob the public’s pockets day and night. The government’s decision to continuously increase electricity rates is a direct blow to the common man’s pocket. This increase is not a symbol of development, but of exploitation.
