The Hindu : New Delhi News : Campaign against power bills picks up momentum

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 03, 2006

New Delhi

New Delhi

Campaign against power bills picks up momentum

Staff Reporter

Actor Roshan Seth, ex-CBI Director Joginder Singh lend support to the movement

NEW DELHI: After social activist and veteran actor Roshan Seth, it is now the turn of former CBI Director Joginder Singh to speak out against inflated electricity bills and fast running meters being thrust upon honest power consumers here in the Capital. Mr. Singh joined hands with non-government organisation People's Action on Friday in protest against the policy of the private power companies to make honest consumers pay up for dishonest ones.

Announcing his decision to pay only 50 per cent of the power bill from now on as a mark of protest, Mr. Singh said: "It is a travesty of the Constitution and equality that honest people pay for those who steal. It is an inequality of the worst kind that is not sustainable either by common sense or fair play or by the laws of the country. The Government and its officials cannot be allowed to abdicate their responsibility," he said.

Throwing his weight behind the campaign to force the Government to stop power theft and stop charging honest bill payers for the same, Mr. Singh, a resident of Dwarka, said he would pay only 50 per cent of his next electricity bill to express solidarity with the campaign.

Turning on the heat on the Delhi Government and the DERC to reset power tariffs in favour of honest consumers, eminent actor and member of People's Action Roshan Seth publicly declared on Friday that he would not support the current practice of making honest consumers pay for the dishonesty of others.

Mr. Seth said it would be fair to say that lakhs of people who pay electricity bills in Delhi will not argue with the injustice of having to pay for those who steal electricity. "I am one of them. Many people have passed a resolution to oppose this perverse policy to replace it with something more just. I have publicly supported them. Many have already paid 50 per cent of their electricity bill and had payments rejected by BSES. My payment has also been rejected. I must face the consequences because I have taken a stand against unfair coercion," he said.

Meanwhile, responding to assertions by BSES that the power to fix tariff rests with the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission and that payment of 50 per cent is not legal, leading advocate P.S. Sharda of People's Action stated that on the first count the statement was untrue in the context of the fact that the DERC fixes tariff only after the submission of the Annual Revenue Report by private power companies which inter alia is the basis for revenue calculations and therefore the de facto basis for fixing tariff.

On the second point, he argued that under Regulation 13 of DERC (PSMB) Regulations-2002, no amount can be recovered except in accordance therewith till the complaint is resolved. The order of Justice J.D. Kapoor in a case recently stated that "power cannot be disconnected if the consumer pays or challenges bill".

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