Residents flay 2% hike in power tariff

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 24

Residents on Sunday criticised the 2 per cent hike in power tariff in the rural areas.

In the notification issued by the state government, the Department of Power has increased the tariff from 13 per cent to 15 per cent in the rural areas with effect from April 1, 2018, on the electricity supplied to all categories of consumers by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited.

Gian Chand Bansal, a resident, said it was a shocker for the people living in the rural belt as rates of power were already very high during the SAD-BJP rule.

“People were having high expectations that after coming to power, the Congress government would provide some relief, but it has hiked the tariff, which is totally condemnable and unacceptable,” he said.

Shingara Singh Mann, president, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan), said the state government was trying everything to crush farmers and poor people living in rural areas as earlier the plantation of paddy crop was delayed and if anyone tried to do it, cases were registered against them and now, power tariff has been hiked.