Kerala power tariff hike: Aam Aadmi Party to educate consumers on their rights

The AAP has been utilising the power of the Right to Information to gather crucial data on the KSEB’s profits.
Image used for representational purposes only
Image used for representational purposes onlyFile photo
Updated on
3 min read

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala wing of the Aam Aadmi Party in its bid to expand its wings in South India has been making silent strides against issues related to the power tariff hike proposed by the KSEB. Unlike the three leading political parties in the state, the AAP is ensuring that its voice is heard loud and clear against the imminent power tariff hike which is expected to be announced in two months. When Arvind Kejriwal came to power in Delhi in 2014, he had promised to reduce power rates by 50% within three days of assuming power and implemented it for three months.

Usually when a power tariff hike occurs, much hue and cry is made by the Opposition and BJP. They normally take a protest march to the KSEB headquarters at Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, and sometimes a protest march is taken to the Secretariat. The youth organisations also hold protests. There ends their intervention which does not help the consumers as they will end up paying the increased power tariff.

The AAP aims to educate power consumers on their rights so that they can intervene in issues before the statutory body like Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission takes a call on the power tariff hike. At the recent public hearing held by the KSERC at Thiruvananthapuram, several dozen AAP party workers had thronged the packed venue.

The situation was the same in the Kozhikode, Palakkad and Kochi public hearings held under the aegis of KSERC. Vinod Mathew Wilson, a lawyer based in Kollam, who is also the state president of AAP told TNIE that usually one sitting takes place and this time the regulatory commission was forced to hold hearings in four districts.

“How many people know that the KSERC holds hearings every month on various aspects of power? They regularly come up with notifications on their website which we follow religiously. The AAP had also moved the High Court where we filed a writ petition which will be taken up on Tuesday. The KSEB representative informed the High Court that the four public hearings saw only a few people attending it and those who attended were goondas. Along with the legal fight, we are also going to regularly hold political fights,” said Wilson.

The AAP has also been utilising the power of the Right to Information to gather crucial data on the KSEB’s profits. The AAP state president also told TNIE that the RATI reply given to him states that the power entity had garnered a profit of Rs 560 crore during 2023-24. Wilson’s question to the KSEB is why then should the consumers be taxed further in the form of a power tariff hike. The KSEB’s claim is that since they are facing losses, there is no other alternative before them, but to go for a hike.

During the tenure of former AAP state president P C Cyriac, he had held a few ‘Kerala Dialogues’ seminars on diverse topics including the power situation in the state. Cyriac who was also the former chairman of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board recalled to TNIE that senior AAP leader Jasmine Shah who had visited Kochi for the programme had maintained that power tariff hike should be the last option before the state government as the efficiency of the power sector has to be improved first.  

After stepping down from the role of state president of the AAP, the senior bureaucrat who was also the former Chief Secretary, Tamil Nadu, was elevated to the role of AAP national joint secretary.

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com