Hooda flays Haryana govt for hiking power tariff, imposing unscheduled power cuts

Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition, Haryana, Bhupinder Singh Hooda has flayed the BJP-JJP-led Haryana government for hiking the power tariff and imposing long and unscheduled power cuts during summers.

He said that this practice of CM Manohal Lal Khattar-led government has pushed the state into a huge power crisis.

“Long power cuts have made life difficult for people. The Congress government had built four power plants in Khedar, Panipat, Jharli and Yamunanagar to make the state self-reliant in terms of electricity, while not a single plant was set up in the BJP or the BJP-JJP government,” Hooda said.

“Production has been stopped completely in three units at Khedar, Panipat and Jharli Power Plants. As per the capacity of state power plants, very less power is being produced. The people of the state are facing the brunt of this in the form of long power cuts and expensive electricity rates. Electricity is being bought from private companies at expensive rates and sold to common consumers at higher rates,” he said.

The Leader of Opposition said the power cuts have not only disturbed normal life but were also hitting business establishments adversely. “Farmers are also facing huge losses due to irregular and erratic supply of electricity,” he added.

“Keeping in mind the farmers’ need, the government should fix the electricity schedule in consultation with agriculture and horticulture experts. Also, the power supply for farmers should be increased from 8 to 10 hours,” said Hooda.

Hooda has also demanded a bonus of at least ₹500 per quintal on MSP to compensate farmers for losses suffered by them. Hooda said wheat farmers have suffered huge losses due to unseasonal rains and then early arrival of summer.

“This time the size of the wheat grain has reduced by about 10% and the production has decreased by about 5 to 10 quintals per acre. On top of this, due to the inflation of petrol, diesel, fertilizers, medicines, seeds and other things, input costs have increased significantly. This is why farmers need government help. Farmers can be compensated for their loss to some extent by giving a bonus of ₹500 per quintal,” he said.