BJP to protest power tariff hike

By Our Staff Correspondent

SHIMOGA, DEC. 22. The BJP would hold State-wide demonstrations on December 26 in protest against the increase in power tariffs, the Chairman of the Central Silk Board and senior BJP leader, Mr. K.S. Eshwarappa, said here on Friday.

He told presspersons that the overall 17 percent increase in the power rates was "unprecedented" and would cause a lot of hardship to the people. If the State Government had taken measures to check power theft and recover arrears from influential persons there would have been no need to increase the power tariffs.

He said that while the AEH category consumers were the worst hit as the tariff had been increased by up to 34 per cent, the Government had not spared even the beneficiaries of the Bhagya Jyoti and Kutir Jyoti schemes.

The people had a chance to reject the Congress(I) in the civic elections in protest against the power tariff increase.

Taking exception to the Government's decision to waive sales tax for eight years to Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages which had established its production unit in Bidadi, near Bangalore, he said that the tax concession had been extended even for the machinery purchased by the company. Mr. Eshwarappa demanded that the Government withdraw its order extending tax concessions to the company forthwith.

He also criticised the way in which wards had been reserved for the municipal elections and urged the Government to set right the anomalies. Pointing out some of the anomalies in the ward reservations, Mr. Eshwarappa said that wards in Shimoga city where the dalits were in a majority had been reserved for the general category and wards inhabited by the upper castes had been reserved for dalits.

The lackadaisical manner in which the reservations had been made showed that the Government was keen on ensuring that the civic elections were stayed on technical grounds as the Congress(I) was not ready to face municipal elections, he claimed.

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Section  : Southern States
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