Political leaders have been criticizing the TVK government over the matter of purchasing one unit of electricity from a private company for Rs. 35.
In that context, Naam Tamilar Katchi coordinator Seeman has criticized, asking whether buying electricity from private players again is for kickbacks.
In a statement issued on this matter, he said, "When electricity charges are already being collected from the people at many times higher rates, if one unit of electricity is bought from a private company for Rs. 35, by how many more times are you going to increase the tariff? Is buying electricity from private players again for kickbacks?
It is shocking that the Tamil Nadu government has decided to purchase one unit of electricity from private companies for around Rs. 35 to address the prevailing power shortage in the state. Instead of strengthening the government’s own power generation projects, buying electricity from private players at a high price is strongly condemnable.
By not making any major long-term investment in generating electricity, which is an unavoidable basic necessity, the previous DMK and AIADMK governments bought power from private companies at high prices, causing the government losses worth thousands of crores, and the Electricity Board has sunk into debt of around 2 lakh crore. If the TVK government continues the same, the debt will only keep increasing further and further.
Investing in production is what will move us toward a lasting solution. If every time the only solution offered is to buy electricity from private players, when will Tamil Nadu become self-sufficient in power generation? When will a permanent solution to this problem come? Where is the plan and the timeline for it? Are nuclear power projects and thermal power projects the only options for electricity generation? Are there no alternative power generation projects such as solar, wind, and tidal energy that do not harm the environment? Why has the Tamil Nadu government not focused on them?
During the campaign for the last Assembly election, Chief Minister Vijay, who accused the DMK government of buying electricity from private players at a higher price for kickbacks (commission) instead of focusing on power generation, is now, under his own rule, buying electricity at an even higher price—who is he taking kickbacks (commission) from? Chief Minister Vijay, who alleged that buying electricity from private players led to corruption and irregularities, why is he procuring power at an even higher price?
The policy that was said to be wrong then—has it become right now that it has come to power? From 2021 to 2026, during the DMK regime, electricity was purchased from private parties at a rate ranging from Rs. 4.85 to Rs. 5.85 per unit.
When it was bought at a rate of Rs. 21 for emergency needs, we strongly opposed the DMK government. But compared to the procurement price of the previous DMK regime, how has the current TVK government's procurement price increased many times over? Is the TVK government ready to explain the justification for this to the people?
After the TVK came to power, people have been struggling over the fact that electricity charges have been collected many times higher over the past 5 months. Now, if one unit is purchased from private parties at Rs. 35, how many more times are you going to raise electricity tariffs on that basis and torment the people? Is it not the government’s basic duty to anticipate the increase in power demand in advance and make the necessary arrangements? Why have a government at all if, after a shortage arises, it has to urgently buy power at a higher price? Why have an administration? Why have a separate electricity department?
What is the installed generation capacity in the government’s power stations? How much capacity is currently being utilized? What are the reasons for not being able to generate at full capacity? Tamil Nadu has reached such a dire state that power cuts are occurring even at the Tamil Nadu government’s Secretariat. What measures has the TVK government taken so far to rectify these issues? Without doing any of that, was the Chief Minister’s visit to the Electricity Board headquarters in the name of an inspection only meant for your party’s virtual warriors to post reels?
There is no disagreement that people should not be affected by power cuts. But it can never be accepted that, by using that urgent need as an excuse, electricity can be purchased at any price. Were alternative options for obtaining electricity at lower cost explored? How was the purchase price determined?
From which companies, how much electricity, and for how many days is it being purchased? What is the total additional cost incurred by this? The TVK government, which calls itself pure energy, must publicly disclose all details, including the contracts, openly in the public domain.
You are going to pass this additional expense on to the people tomorrow as a hike in electricity tariffs, one way or another. So should ordinary people, farmers, and small entrepreneurs be made to pay extra for the government’s lack of planning? Did the people give you power to increase the income of private power companies? What answer does the TVK government have to my questions?
Therefore, the Tamil Nadu government must swiftly carry out the renovation of government power stations, complete pending projects, expand alternative power generation projects and energy storage facilities with renewable energy, and reduce power distribution losses.
He has also stated, "The Tamil Nadu government should immediately review the decision to purchase electricity at high prices, take steps to provide uninterrupted electricity at low cost, and should not burden the people with the additional procurement cost."
Junior Vikatan's exclusive Whatsapp Group...
Click here to join... https://tinyurl.com/2b963ppb
Hello,
From BIG BREAKINGS to... nonstop updates and in-depth articles across all areas including politics, society, crime, and cinema.
Attention-grabbing articles from Junior Vikatan magazine and digital, here instantly... https://tinyurl.com/2b963ppb