HYDERABAD: BRS leader T Harish Rao on Wednesday urged the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) to reject the licence request for the proposed Rythu Discom.
The former minister wrote a letter to the ERC, alleging that the proposal to set up a third Discom was a part of a hidden conspiracy to privatise the power sector. He said that the decision to float the Rythu Discom was taken without public opinion or holding discussions in the Assembly. The government did not even consult the farmers, he said.
“Neither farmers and farmers’ associations nor public representatives had demanded the formation of a separate Discom for agricultural purpose,” he said, while alleging that the decision has more to do with financial considerations rather than the welfare of farmers.
The Siddipet MLA also found fault with the allocation of only 2,000 employees to the proposed Discom, which would have around 29 lakh agricultural consumers. He said that out of the total proposed employees, only 1,000 would be available for fieldwork. “Due to staff shortage and lack of coordination, there was a possibility of an increase in power-related accidents at the field level,” he added.
Without showing revenue sources to the new Discom, the government entrusted the responsibility of recovering around Rs 35,000 crore pending dues, he said.
“How can a Discom be created without clarity on power purchase agreements?” he wondered.
The BRS leader demanded that public hearings should not be limited to Hyderabad alone and should instead be conducted across the state.
The ERC is scheduled to conduct a public hearing in Hyderabad on Friday.
