Rajamahendravaram (East Godavari district): Leaders of all parties demanded that the government remove the burden of adjustment and true-up charges of electricity bills and stop installation of prepaid smart meters. A roundtable was held at Anam Rotary Hall at Y Junction in Rajahmundry on Sunday under the auspices of CPI and CPM.
Telugu Desam Party Rajamahendravaram rural constituency MLA Gorantla Butchaiah Chowdary, TDP leader Adireddy Apparao, Congress leader Balepalli Muralidhar, Andhra Pradesh Civil Rights Association State president and lawyer Muppalla Subbarao, CPI (ML) New Democracy leader K Joji and others attended the meeting. CPM district secretary T Arun and CPI district secretary T Madhu also attended.
The speakers at the roundtable alleged that during the election campaign Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy promised that he would not increase electricity charges, but after coming to power he falsified his word. They criticised that electricity charges have been increased seven times in these four years. Apart from the burden of changing the slabs, the government also burdened the public with Rs 31,000 crore in the name of adjustment charges, they added.
The speakers said the electricity charges are decreasing all over the world, but increasing in the country and in the State due to the anti-people policies of the Central and State governments. ‘It is outrageous that the agreement to supply electricity to agriculture in the State for 30 years is tied to Adani’s company.’
The meeting alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Jagan are deceiving people by tying up contracts of coal import from abroad, ports and smart meters with Adani.
CPM city secretary B Pawan, leaders SS Murthy and B Purnimaraju, CPI city secretary V Kondalarao, leaders Rambabu and Nalla Rama Rao, AITUC leader Ramakrishna, Jana Vignana Vedika members Dr Chaitanya Shekhar and DG
Prasad, SFI district president V Rambabu, district secretary N Raja, AIDWA leader B Sudha and others participated.
