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Left unhappy with Delhi Govt. move

Staff Reporter

Subsidy to discoms objected

ANGRY PROTEST: National Akali Dal chief Paramjeet Singh Pamma along with party activists protesting against the subsidy given to discoms, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India's general secretary, A.B. Bardhan, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Central committee member, E. Balanandan, have demanded review of the Electricity Act-2003 and its implementation.

In a joint statement, the two leaders expressed displeasure with the Delhi Government for deciding to pay subsidy to the discoms after making tall claims that dismantling and unbundling of the erstwhile Delhi Vidyut Board and parcelling them out to private parties would bring efficiency, reduce transmission losses, besides ruling out granting any subsidy to them.

They have pointed out that the Federations of Electricity Employees and Engineers had all along pointed out that unbundling and privatisation as demanded by the Electricity Act-2003 would only mean ever-rising tariff for consumers.

``Appointing a Regulatory Authority would mean nothing more than shifting responsibility and the blame for the rising tariff from the shoulders of the Government and the private parties to the shoulders of the authority. We are witnessed this unseemly quarrel now in Delhi. It is the people who by their determined agitation have compelled the authorities to rollback the tariff hike at present. But is it the last word on the matter? What about the new hikes that are to come?" asked the two leaders in a statement. The experiences of Delhi, Mumbai and Orissa show that privatisation of power is not the solution to the electricity crisis. Therefore the results of the Electricity Act-2003 have to be reviewed and necessary changes have to be made, said the two leaders.

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