MIM, Cong. stall proceedings on AP Transco raids

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 22. Agitated MIM and Congress(I) members stalled the proceedings of the Assembly, on Saturday, for more than half an hour and barged into the well, protesting against `harassment' of the electricity consumers by officials of the AP Transco and the vigilance staff.

They raised slogans against the AP Transco and demanded an end to the raids by the electricity staff on the houses of the poor. A brief adjournment of the House for `tea break' by the Speaker, Mrs. K. Pratibha Bharathi, did not help restore order. When the House reassembled, they continued the protest from the well. It ended only when the Government agreed for a discussion on the issue, skipping other issues on the agenda.

It all began with a zero hour reference by Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi (MIM) to the hardship faced by the consumers, especially in the old city, on account of the `high-handed' behaviour of the AP Transco and vigilance officials in the name of recovering the power tariff dues.

The houses of the poor were targeted and the residents were subjected to physical attacks, arrested and put in jail for not paying the dues. The MIM would resist the excesses of AP Transco officials and the Government would be held responsible for the consequent law and order problems, he said.

The Home Minister, Mr. T. Devender Goud, took strong exception to the MIM member's warning but added that the Government was prepared for a discussion on the issue. Without collecting power tariff, the utility cannot be run properly, he said.

Not satisfied with the Government's response, the MIM members walked into the well of the House and squatted there. They were joined by some Congress(I) members who picked up an argument with the Chair. They resumed their seats after the Home Minister agreed for a discussion.

Initiating the discussion, Mr. Asaduddin Owaisi (MIM) criticised the Government for allowing the AP Transco to terrorise the poor people in the garb of reforms in power sector and shoring up the revenues of the utility. In the bargain, the big fish was let off while the poor residents, including women were rounded up and kept in police stations.

The MIM floor leader said the drive against pilferage by the AP Transco and vigilance officials looked like a combing operation of the police in naxalite area.

Mr. Owaisi alleged that the Urdu Academy chairman, Mr. Syed Shah Quadri, who belonged to the ruling TDP, got a preferential treatment despite his grave offense of tapping power directly and evading payment of compounding fee running into more than Rs.45,000.

He said if the trend continued unchecked `it will ultimately turn out to be TDP's waterloo'. He also urged the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, `not to fall into the trap of the IAS and IPS officials' running the power utility. He said about Rs.1,200 crores of AP Transco revenue due from commercial consumers was locked up in disputes.

Mr. D. Nagender (Congress(I)) said the poor people were the worst sufferers on account of the power reforms. The higher power tariff and the replacement of meters caused untold misery to them. The public resentment was reflected in the poor performance of the TDP in the local body elections but the Government refused to mend its ways. The AP Transco would engulf the TDP, he said.

Mr. K. Haribabu (BJP) also opposed the higher power tariffs and hoped that the generation of additional power might lead to rationalisation of the tariff. The drive of regularising unauthorised connections was only resulting in more people resorting to unauthorised tapping.

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