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SAD condemns 'inhuman burden' hike in electricity duty in Congress Rule

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Nimrat Kaur
New Update
SAD condemns 'inhuman burden' hike in electricity duty in Congress Rule
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SAD condemns 'inhuman burden' hike in electricity duty in Congress Rule The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the inhuman burden being put on the common man with repeated hikes in power tariff and duties, even as it demanded roll back of the latest two per cent increase in electricity duty from 13 per cent to 15 per cent for all consumers in rural areas. In a statement here, former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said the latest order of Punjab State Power Corporation limited (PSPCL) issued yesterday would put a heavy burden on all rural consumers with the Board deciding to levy the increase with retrospective effect from April one this year. Mr Dhindsa said repeated increases in power tariff and electricity duty had resulted in a 17 to 20 per cent increase in domestic power tariff in the little more than one year of Congress rule. He said earlier in October last year the government had effected a nine to twelve per cent increase in domestic power tariff in one go with retrospective effect from April 2017. He said a municipal tax equivalent to two per cent of electricity bill was also levied last year. “Electricity duty was also increased by two percent in March this year”, he added. The SAD leader said earlier in April this year the government had affected an increase of Rs 2.17 per cent in domestic power and an increase in fixed charges by Rs 10 per kilo watt. He said even the industrial sector, which had been promised power at a flat rate of Rs five per unit had been deceived with the government going in for a two per cent increase in power tariff for this sector besides increasing fixed charges by Rs 10 to Rs 15 per unit. Mr Dhindsa said the Congress government was bent on breaking the back of the common man with domestic consumers were levied fixed charges whether they consumed power or not. He said scheduled caste consumers were being harassed and forced to pay astronomical bills even as the partial free power facility to backward castes had been withdrawn. Stating that the government was going back on all the promises made to the people, the Akali leader said it seemed nothing was sacrosanct for the Congress government. He said instead of giving relief to the industry as well as the common man as promised, the government was increasing tariff steadily and now it had reached such a point that the hikes had become unbearable. “We will take this issue to the people and force the government to take back all anti-people decisions”, he added. -PTC News-
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