New Delhi: The Delhi government reinstated that it will not change its scheme of free and subsidised electricity for the “aam aadmi” with L-G office alleging that the government’s scam being run on the pretext of helping the common man has been caught and it is time the subsidy should be given to the “genuine aam aadmis”.
Sources at the L-G office said that when the AAP government is caught “red-handed in the act of benefiting and providing undue financial favours to private DISCOMS, especially Anil Ambani-owned BSES, in the name of poor people”, they try to make baseless, false and misleading statements.
“Now that their scam of helping the DISCOMS to get kickbacks stands exposed, they are trying to somehow to redeem themselves in the eyes of the people,” the source added.
The L-G office clarified that Saxena has repeatedly asked for subsidies to be given to the poor who are deserving, rather than to private power companies.
The AAP released an official statement in response asking the L-G to go on record with his allegations. “Let L-G say it on record and we will sue him for defamation. He is a criminal who assaulted a lady Medha Patkar and is being tried for the same in a Gujarat Court. He has no sense of the constitutional post that he holds,” the statement read.
Amidst the crossfire between the LG office and AAP, the state’s Power Minister Atishi said that her Government will continue providing power subsidies to all the people of Delhi irrespective of their sanctioned load.
As per directions received by the Power department, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission DERC had suggested the department reconsider extending electricity subsidies to the consumers having connections of fixed load above 5kw/3kw as they are not poor consumers in 2020.
However, in the order dated January 6, 2023, DERC had recalled its prior advice to the Delhi government curtailing power subsidy to consumers having connections of fixed load above 5KW or 3KW. A senior official speaking on the matter explained that the government does not have the right to tell consumers to limit their household equipment. After a detailed examination of various legal provisions of the Electricity Act 2003 and prior SC judgments, DERC had concluded that it has no legal basis or jurisdiction to advise the Government about the withdrawal of subsidy for any category of consumers.
“The PM wants to discontinue power subsidy in Delhi. It is under pressure from the PMO that LG issued such a statement. However, in these days of inflation, the power subsidy has provided a huge relief to the common man in Delhi,” Atishi said.
As per Section 86(2) of Delhi Electricity Act, 2003, the commission can advise the government only on four defined matters — promotion of competition, efficiency and economy in activities of the electricity industry, promotion of investment in the electricity industry, reorganisation and restructuring of the electricity industry in the State and matters concerning generation, transmission, distribution and trading of electricity or any other matter referred to the State Commission by that Government.
“All these documents are on file. If we are aware of it, so would the Delhi LG. It is worth questioning how the Delhi LG asked the government to alter the subsidy policy when he already knew the advice was legally incorrect?,” the Power Minister pointed out.