HYDERABAD: BRS leader T Harish Rao on Friday urged Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to advise the state government against divesting its stake in TG Transco, and ask it to dissuade from going ahead with a possible move to privatise TG Genco, Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and the Discoms.
In an open letter to Rahul Gandhi, the Siddipet MLA Rao said the issue is not just about one government decision. “It raises a larger question on what economic policy the Congress follows when it is in power in Telangana. Congress should follow the same policy in Telangana that it speaks about at the national level,” Harish said in his letter.
The BRS leader said that Transco is not an ordinary commercial company and it is the backbone of Telangana’s power transmission system.
“TG Transco has 29 400-kV substations, 107 220-kV substations, 337 132-kV substations, more than 31,420 circuit-kilometres of EHT lines and 1,184 power transformers with a transformation capacity of 43,848 MVA. These assets were built over several decades with public money. Why dilute the government’s ownership in such a strategic public utility?” he asked.
Harish said that the reported proposal to divest 26% equity through an IPO raises serious concerns about the future ownership and control of the state’s power infrastructure.
“Is the 26% disinvestment only the beginning? Will Genco, Singareni and the Discoms also be taken on the same path? The Telangana government must give a clear answer to the people,” he said.