@the_news_21
Mumbai: An enraged opposition has slammed the Shiv Sena led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government after state power utility Mahavitaran has threatened people to cut their power connections if they fail to pay their pending dues on disputed high tariff bills during the lockdown period. Cutting across party lines political parties have questioned over its promise to waive off power bills of those consuming less than 100 units per month.
The state power transmission utility Mahavitaran has recently dispatched notices to people asking them to pay up their pending dues of electricity bills charged during the lockdown period, or face disconnections.
Reacting to the power utility move MVA supporter, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna leader Raju Shetti has dared Mahavitaran to cut power connections of the consumers. He further warned that his party cadres will agitate on the streets against the forced recovery of power dues.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) senior leader Bala Nandgaonkar while lambasting the MVA government stated that Maharashtra Energy Minister Dr Nitin Raut had assured power consumers that they will get good news before the Diwali festival last year. He had assured that power bills of those consuming power below 100 units per month shall be waived off.
Terming the government order as whimsical he wanted to know as to what happened to the promises it had made of waiver. Nandgaonkar stated the MNS cadre’s waged agitation during the lockdown period, tore down the power utility offices and went to jail.
State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) media head Vishwas Pathak remarked that the MVA government has once again shown its insensitivity towards the people. He added that revenue collection of Mahavitaran shows that the power utility generated the same amount of revenue during the lockdown as it used to do before the lockdown began.
Slamming the MVA government further, he said that while the government does not have any money to waive off the power tariff bills, it has money to spend on renovation of the minister’s office and pay for his private plane trips to Nagpur.
The move is reminiscent of that of the Congress led Democratic Front government announcing free power to farmers if voted to power in 2004. After the initial few months of zero tariff bills the government rescinded its promise arguing that it could not afford the waiver bill.
