BHUBANESWAR: Members of the BJP on Wednesday staged protest against the steep hike in electricity tariff and failure of the State government to ask for revision as promised in the budget session of the Assembly. Led by the Bhubaneswar district president Babu Singh, they took out a rally from Master Canteen Square to gherao the Assembly. The protesters scuffled with the police when they were stopped on the way to Lower PMG. Making a scathing attack on the BJD government, Singh told reporters that the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) is hand in glove with Tata Power by increasing the electricity tariff twice during a difficult situation like Covid pandemic.
Accusing Energy Minister Dibya Singh Mishra of cheating the public, Singh said that the Minister had assured the people that the government will move to OERC seeking a review of the hike during the last Assembly session. Four months have already passed but the government is doing nothing. As the Assembly is in session, OERC has reserved the order of a review petition filed by a consumer activist deliberately to save it from the wrath of the Opposition, he said.