India News | AAP Protests Power Tariff Hike in Maha, Demands Rollback

Mumbai, Mar 20 (PTI) The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday demanded immediate rollback of proposed hike in power tariff and urged the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) to stop disconnection of electricity meters in the state.

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AAP workers, led by the party's Mumbai unit president Preeti Sharma Menon, 'gheraoed' the MSEB office at Prakashgad in suburban Bandra here.

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Prakashgad houses offices of state-owned power companies.

Power consumers in Mumbai and Maharashtra already pay the highest tariff per unit of consumption in India, and the proposed tariff hike of up to 37 per cent across various slabs, will further skyrocket the already high prices of electricity in the state, the party claimed.

"At a time, when inflation is at an all-time high, compounded with a bleak economic environment and high unemployment rate, one would have expected better sense to prevail in the state government, but clearly Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has other 'misplaced priorities', even at the cost of public welfare," Sharma Menon said.

Power supply is not a privilege, but a basic amenity, which is necessary to live a dignified life, she said.

"When the AAP governments in Delhi and Punjab can provide 200 units and 300 units of electricity for free to its consumers, why can't the Maharashtra government provide the same?" the AAP leader said.

Earlier on February 9, the AAP had formally written to Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) objecting to the proposed increase in the electricity tariff.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)