Roll back burdensome true-up charges: CPM

Vijayawada: CPM State executive member Ch Babu Rao participating in the online public hearing organised by the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Authority on Tuesday demanded immediate withdrawal of true-up charges which have become a burden to the people.

Babu Rao told the APERA that it was atrocious to impose true-up charges of Rs 3,699 crore on people instead of giving them some concessions at a time the pandemic which have destroyed people financially. Moreover, the government is ready to impose more true-up charges for the years 2019-20 and 2020-21 also.

He said that the government should bear the charges and even refund the already collected true-up charges. He appealed to the authority to consider the woes of people and issue orders cancelling the true-up charges. He said that the imposition of the charges after so many years is unheard of anywhere in the world.

Babu Rao in a statement here slammed the YSRCP government for burdening the people with true-up charges though he promised during the padayatra that the charges would not be increased.

He demanded that the public inquiry should be conducted in person instead of online. He took strong exception to the imposition of additional charges on people by the Discoms without giving any information. He took exception to the perfunctory inquiry conducted by the authority and demanded public inquiry in the presence of people. It is sad that the regulatory authority is working from Hyderabad though the separate State was formed many years ago. The office of APERA should be shifted to Andhra Pradesh immediately.