Cong. questions CM's claim on power subsidy

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JUNE 17. The Congress(I) has taken exception to the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu's claim at a public meeting at Utnoor that the Government was providing a subsidy of Rs.2,413 crores to the AP Transco to meet its huge deficit.

Addressing a press conference, on Saturday, the Congress official spokespersons, Mr. K. Rosaiah, Mr. K. Kesava Rao and Mr. K.S.R. Murthy, alleged that the Chief Minister was playing a fraud on the people by such false claims.

They said the Government had agreed for a subsidy of Rs.1,345 crores only, against the financial requirement of Rs.8,361 crores by the AP Transco for 2000-2001. If Mr. Naidu's claim was true, there was no need to increase the tariff, they contended.

Mr. Rosaiah said the Government promised a subsidy of Rs.2,400 crores for 1999-2000 but was to release any amount till now. Instead of misleading the people, the Chief Minister should accept the Congress demand for a public debate, he said.

The Congress leaders said the Chief Minister raised the bogey of power pilferage only to take the heat off the burning tariff hike problem which was agitating the consumers. The APSEB engineers warned about the huge power theft as early as in 1997 but the Government slept over the problem all these years.

The losses of the Board were a nominal Rs.86 crores in 1994 but rose to a staggering Rs.2,600 crores now. The daily loss was of the order of Rs.10 crores as a result of the Government messing up the power sector.

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Section  : Southern States
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