MARGAO
A day after Power Minister Pandurang Madkaikar and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane were engaged in fire works over the power tariff hike, the government seems to be working on a mechanism to file a review before the JERC not only to bring relief to the power consumers, but bring about a truce between the warring Ministers.
Aware that a hike in the power tariff at a time when mining operations are shut down will only mean adding salt to injury in the common man’s life, member of the Cabinet Advisory
Committee (CAC) and TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai has intervened to express the government’s concern over the power tariff hike and to calm down flayed tampers between the Health Minister and the Power Minister.
Apparently worried that the government may have to face all-round flak after mining and RP 2021, the TCP Minister is believed to have intervened and conveyed to the Power Minister to clear the air surrounding the power tariff hike at a media conference on Monday.
The CAC member said the power department will file a review petition before the JERC to reconsider the tariff hike and roll back the proposed rates.
“I spoke to the Power Minister and discussed the issue at length. When the state is already hit by mining, a hike in the power tariff will only burden the power consumers. This should not happen. Effecting a hike in the prevailing scenario is like breaking the backs of the people,” he said.
While saying that he has conveyed the government’s concern to the Power Minister by saying the government can go for a review with a petition to roll back the tariff hike, Sardesai said the Power Minister will clear the air on the issue on Monday.
On the other hand, the TCP Minister said what the Health Minister has done only goes to show that the government is not hit by any paralysis, but is proactive in addressing the grievances of the
common man.
“The Health Minister apparently issued the statement against the power tariff hike after his voters took up the issue with him. It only goes to show that the government is not hit by any inner party paralysis. A minister cannot work in isolation. He has to listen to the grievances of his people,” Sardesai said, adding that a pro-active Vishwajit Rane has only aired his grievances in public.
“The power minister is in agreement with my stand that the consumers should not be burdened with a power tariff hike given the shut down in the mining operations and other factors,” he added.
