Nagpur citizens oppose power tariff hike, load shedding

Hike proposed is fifth in a year; people blame power distributor for not recovering dues from the powerful

Published on:

13 Oct 2011, 1:01 pm

Taking the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL) to task for financial mismanagement, citizens and people’s representatives stiffly opposed its move to hike power tariff for the fifth time in a single year.

At a public hearing in the city on October 8, MLAs and activists raised concerns like the failure of the franchisee model of power distribution and non-recovery from influential and affluent customers. They also turned down the proposal for load shedding in the region, saying it produces the highest amount of electricity in the state.

At a public hearing in the city on October 8, MLAs and activists raised concerns like the failure of the franchisee model of power distribution and non-recovery from influential and affluent customers
They also turned down the proposal for load shedding in the region
Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company MSEDCL’s financial woes, which are being cited as the reason for the proposed hike, is due to intentional non-recovery of Rs 300 crore dues from 20 powerful companies, say residents
Despite government orders prohibiting MSEDCL from severing connections to agricultural pumps till December 2011, 40 connections had been severed in Ramtek tehsil alone
Spanco, the power distribution franchisee has not given Rs 150 crore collected from people to MSEDCL