Congress pins blame on BRS govt for messing up power sector

Hyderabad: Congress MLA Komatireddy Rajagopal Reddy alleged on Monday that the BRS government pushed the power sector into a crisis with huge loans; the government was trying to bring the sector out of the loan burden.

Initiating discussion on power demands in the Assembly, he said the BRS government had acted negligently in the power sector. ‘They claimed to give free power, but in fact, the concept of free power was started by the Congress during YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s government’.

Reddy asked why the former CM K Chandrashekar Rao was not coming to the Assembly sessions. “Why should there be a status of Leader of Opposition for a person who does not come to the House?” he said, demanding KCR to come to the Assembly and speak.

The Congress leader criticised the fact that power was allocated according to consumption and not based on population. The MLA asked why power companies went into losses, adding that the commission was investigating irregularities in PPAs.

Alleging the previous government had pushed the power sector into debt, Reddy said the Revanth government was trying to bring it out of debt. He recalled saying in 2018 itself that the Yadadri Power Plant was not profitable. ‘They wanted to spend an additional Rs 11,000 crore for the plant’s completion. As per the Bifurcation Act, the plant should have been set up in Ramagundam, but it was constructed in Yadadri.

“KCR behaved like a king when he was in power. KCR will take decisions only if there are political benefits,” charged Reddy.

He alleged that old motors were used in the Yadadri plant. The thermal project work was also given on a nomination basis. Project estimates had been increased at will. About Rs 20,000 crore worth of work was given to BHEL on a nomination basis. A thermal project should be set up where coal is available, but the project was taken up near Damaracherla, 280 km away from coal mines.