Adityanath seeks details after his aide is accused of seeking a bribe
Lucknow, June 8 : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Friday asked for details in a case where his Principal Secretary S.P. Goel has been accused of seeking a Rs 25 lakh bribe, an official spokesman said.
A Lucknow-based businessman has alleged that senior IAS officer Goel sought money to approve widening of a road to his proposed petrol pump. Adityanath asked Chief Secretary Rajeev Kumar to find out the factual position in the case.
The move came after Governor Ram Naik, taking cognizance, shot off a letter to the Chief Minister apprising him of the e-mail complaint the Raj Bhawan had received from businessman Abhishek Gupta, seeking help in getting the matter expedited.
In his letter, Naik says Gupta has claimed that since he was not yielding to the bribe demand, the IAS officer was sitting on the file. The Governor asked Adityanath to look into the matter at his level.
Meanwhile, the complainant was picked up by the police in the afternoon for interrogation, said Lucknow Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Deepak Kumar.
A complaint was filed against Gupta by BJP party office in-charge Bharat Dixit alleging that he was exerting pressure on senior BJP office bearers and the Chief Minister's Office to get favours, Kumar said.
"Following the complaint, the police has filed a case under Sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (Cheating and dishonestly) and 500 (defamation) of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) against Gupta," the SSP said.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
