Priyanka demands halving of electricity rates for farmers in UP
New Delhi: Voicing concern over alleged irregularities in electricity billing in Uttar Pradesh, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday urged the Yogi Adityanath government to act against those responsible for it and demanded that the rate of power for farmers be halved immediately.
The Congress general secretary in-charge Uttar Pradesh also demanded that relief be given to weavers, artisans, and small-scale industries in electricity consumption.
In a statement, she said that there was a "terror" of rising electricity bills and of meters in the whole of Uttar Pradesh.
Noting there has been a big rise in electricity rates in the last few years, Priyanka Gandhi said that in the last eight years, the rates for rural household consumers have increased by 500 percent, urban domestic electricity rates have risen by 84 percent and for farmers, the rates have increased by 126 percent.
She said Uttar Pradesh has become a "laboratory" for electricity meters which have been found to run many times faster than they should.
Even in houses that are locked, a bill of up to Rs seven-eight thousand is coming, she alleged.
In many districts of the state, it was also seen that bills came without electricity meter being installed, she said.
The public is already reeling due to price rise, the business of small enterprises has collapsed, farmers' crops are not being sold, they are not getting help in the event of floods, hailstorms, and natural disasters, crop insurance scheme has become a source of income for big companies, and in such a situation, electricity prices are constantly increasing and consumers can no longer bear the brunt of irregularities, Priyanka Gandhi said.
She said that in the COVID-19 pandemic, what should have happened was that people should have been given relief by reducing the rates of electricity in a big way.
Electricity bills of farmers should have been waived and weavers-artisans, small-scale industries should have been given concession in electricity bills.
She demanded that the electricity rates for farmers be halved, the truth about irregularities in metering be brought to the fore, those responsible for it be punished and weavers-artisans, as well as small-scale industries, be given relief in electricity consumption.
Later, in a tweet, Priyanka Gandhi lashed out at the Uttar Pradesh government over the alleged arrest of farmers in Saharanpur for stubble burning.
"Are only farmers responsible for pollution? When will action be taken against those who are really responsible for pollution?" she said.
"Farmers' vote -- legal, farmer's paddy -- legal, farmers' straw -- illegal?" she tweeted.
Priyanka Gandhi also thanked Congress workers for ensuring the release of farmers allegedly arrested in Saharanpur.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
