Agartala: Leader of the Opposition and CPI(M) state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury on Sunday criticised the Tripura government over rising electricity tariffs and other charges, questioning its attempt to distance itself from decisions taken by the Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL).
Chaudhury said that if the government maintained that TSECL was an independent entity and that it had no role in tariff hikes or additional charges imposed on consumers, there was little justification for maintaining a separate Power Department.
“If the Electricity Corporation is independent and the government has nothing to do with tariff hikes and other charges being imposed on consumers, then why does the government have a Power Department? Why is the minister holding the portfolio?” he asked.
The Opposition leader said the government should accept responsibility for decisions affecting electricity consumers instead of shifting the onus onto the power corporation.
He also accused the BJP-led government of attempting to divert attention from its own shortcomings by repeatedly blaming the previous Left Front government for problems in the power sector.
Chaudhury claimed the erstwhile Left Front government had not burdened consumers through repeated tariff hikes and said Tripura had attained power-surplus status during its tenure.
He alleged that the present government was imposing higher electricity costs on ordinary consumers while seeking to blame its predecessors for the situation.
Chaudhury also targeted former Power Minister Jishnu Dev Varma and incumbent Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath over the handling of the sector.
He alleged that attempts to involve private companies in the power sector had begun during Dev Varma’s tenure and claimed that the CPI(M) had opposed such moves from the beginning.
“It was from the time of Jishnu Dev Varma that we have been opposing the privatisation move of the government,” Chaudhury said.
He further accused the current Power Minister of mishandling the sector, alleging that the government’s policies were adversely affecting consumers.
The CPI(M) leader maintained that the state government could not evade accountability for decisions taken within the power sector and urged it to address consumers’ grievances and provide relief from rising electricity costs.
The state government has maintained that tariff-related decisions are governed by the applicable regulatory framework.
