Rosaiah under attack for power tariff hike

Chief Minister K Rosaiah is facing the first major test in his seven-month old rule. With mounting demand for power and escalating expenditure for purchasing power from outside, his government has been left with little choice but to increase power tariff.

Knowing fully well that an increase in domestic power tariff or agriculture tariff would prove counter-productive, the Rosaiah government has proposed to increase industrial power tariff by 50 paise per unit. Next, he will target commercial tariff. On seeing the reactions from these sectors, he would consider increasing domestic power tafiff.

But the Opposition parties have already started attacking the Rosaiah government. CPI state secretary K Narayana said the Congress government has no moral or political right to increase the power because it amounts to going back from its election manifesto and resorting to anti-people measures.

The CPI strongly condemns the attitude of the government which is claiming that due to the present crisis in the State, it was forced to increase the tariff. He said the assets and resources were being handed over to the MNCs and the investors setting aside the development of the middle and lower middle classes.