AAP sounds poll bugle, promises to cut power tariff by 50 per cent

Torrent Power Limited(TPL) is charging a very high rate by "manipulating" things in connivance with the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, alleged AAP.

AAP, AAP gujarat elections, AAP gujarat assembly elections,

Torrent Power Limited(TPL) is charging a very high rate by “manipulating” things in connivance with the ruling BJP and opposition Congress, alleged AAP.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Ashutosh said here on Friday that AAP would reduce the electricity tariff by 50 per cent if his party came to power in December 2017 assembly elections in Gujarat. He also promised action against private power distribution company — Torrent Power Limited (TPL) — indulging in “loot and scam” and also against BJP and Congress allowing TPL to indulge in what he called “fraud” and “fleecing” of the power consumers.

Addressing mediapersons, Ashutosh said that Gujarat, after Maharashtra, was the only state charging the highest power tariff, that is above Rs 7 per unit for residential consumers. The power tariff in Delhi, he said, is Rs 3.20 per unit for residential users. Stating that power tariff had been raised to 150 per cent in the last five years by “manipulating’’ things in connivance with BJP and Congress, he demanded TPL accounts to be audited by Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India to check malpractices and bringing TPL under RTI so that people could get all the information about the company easily.

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He stated that external auditors — N C Mittal and Company — in its 2010-11 audit report of TPL had observed that “there is a possibility of the state of affairs in the TPL’s audit like the one reported in the infamous Satyam Case”.

Ashutosh asked PM Narendra Modi to answer as to why no action was initiated against TPL by him when he was CM at the time and the external audits were conducted at the behest of Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC). Ashutosh said that the external auditors had pointed out that TPL had prepared two parallel balance sheets audited by the same chartered accountant and “manipulated accounts”.

He said that TPL’s losses of Rs 638 crore were found “fabricated” by NC Mittal and company. The audit report suggested that “accounts of the company be rejected” and “the action under law can be taken by GERC if required”. He said TPL increased fixed charge by 400 per cent in the last five years, energy charge by 20 per cent and surcharge by 280 per cent and now they had added more charges as well.

Quoting from Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) report, he said that TPL had paid Rs 34 crore to BJP and Rs 20 crore to Congress as election funds in the last 10 years and “this can possibly be the reason for the leadership of the two parties in the state to keep their mouth shut on the issue”.

Torrent Power officials were not available for any comments.

Reacting to AAP allegations, L Chuaungo, principal secretary, energy and petrochemical department, Gujarat government, said the AAP should first analyse power situations across the country before making wild charges.

With inputs from PTI.