TURA: After accusing the NPP- led MDA government in the state of alleged embezzlement of central funds to the GHADC and illegal coal transport, the BJP has now trained its guns on the state power department alleging a scam in electricity billing for consumers.
The party has questioned the rising cost in power charges for consumers across the state and allege the bills are being inflated.
“Soaring electricity bills are an indirect tax imposed on tribal people of the state which is affecting the entire society. As the state cannot impose direct tax on tribals, a new mechanism has been devised through the electricity bills to loot the public in the state,” alleges BJP state vice president Bernard Marak.
Terming this as nothing short of a scam in the power department the BJP has demanded that the government come clean on this issue.
“Chief minister Conrad K Sangma should address this issue immediately as the entire state is facing this problem and particularly his constituency of Tura is worsely affected,” Marak said in an official statement on Thursday.
According to the BJP, bills are not being prepared unit wise and agents tasked with recording and preparing bills are doing so without checking the meters in the houses of consumers.
“People are suffering and being forced to pay the bills under threat of their line being disconnected and legal action taken. On complaints the department excuse given is defective meter boxes. How can all meters be defective? Are defective meters supplied in the entire state? Is this another scam?” questioned the BJP and mentioned that consumers who were earlier paying bills in the range of Rs 250-400 were now being served bills amounting to thousands of rupees.
The party also pointed out that with the wide use of CFL and LED bulbs across homes in the state the power dues should have dropped instead of a spike and demanded answers from the power department.