The Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva on Sunday introduced demonstrations throughout all 14 districts right here to protest towards the imposition of the Energy Buy Settlement Costs (PPAC) and different surcharges leading to extreme electrical energy payments.
Throughout a press convention, Sachdeva accused the Delhi authorities and electrical energy distribution firms of failing to pre-purchase electrical energy for peak summer time and winter calls for, forcing residents to bear the burden of those extra prices.
Calling for a judicial inquiry, Sachdeva claimed that the PPAC was not a part of the accredited Enterprise Regulatory Plan for energy distribution firms till 2015.
He alleged that its imposition is a results of corrupt practices between the Arvind Kejriwal authorities and energy distribution firms.
Throughout the press convention, Sachdeva launched a duplicate of a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Delhi Electrical energy Regulatory Fee (DERC). He known as for intervention on the difficulty of extreme PPAC, pension surcharges, meter fees, and cargo surcharges, which have collectively inflated shoppers’ electrical energy payments.
To protest towards these fees, BJP employees will maintain demonstrations at energy distribution firm workplaces throughout all districts of Delhi on Monday, Sachdeva mentioned.
He additionally highlighted that since 2015, the PPAC has elevated each summer time and winter for the related quarter, but it surely has by no means been withdrawn after the quarter ends.
Beginning at 1.5 per cent, the PPAC has now surged to almost 45 per cent.
Talking concerning the affect on the shoppers, Sachdeva mentioned that Delhi residents are going through twin hardships, enduring a damp monsoon following a protracted summer time and being pressured to pay steep electrical energy payments.
He famous that there was vital public outcry over the invoice quantities since April-Might.
A examine carried out by the BJP in collaboration with energy cost specialists and Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) revealed that the PPAC has turn into a significant burden for decrease and upper-middle-class shoppers.
“The 1.5 per cent PPAC was first levied illegally in 2011 by the then Congress authorities and was withdrawn in 2014 after intervention by then Energy Minister Piyush Goyal.
“Nevertheless, it was reintroduced in 2015 when the Kejriwal authorities got here to energy and supported its reimposition,” Sachdeva mentioned.
Sachdeva additionally alleged that the PPAC and related surcharges, such because the pension surcharge, meter lease, and cargo surcharges, have additionally been abnormally elevated, contributing considerably to the general electrical energy invoice for middle-class shoppers.
The Delhi BJP has urged the DERC Chairman to analyze the imposition of those elevated fees regardless of energy distribution firms already being worthwhile on the present per-unit charges.