During the winter session of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly on Thursday, the principal opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) launched a scathing attack on the government over the alleged encroachment of the Aravalli hills and the power situation in the state.
The government responded to the allegations, and Energy Minister A K Sharma urged all members to bring their problems to his attention, assuring them that the government would resolve them.
On Wednesday, SP MLA Atul Pradhan arrived in the Assembly carrying a banner and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government of selling the Aravalli hills to their “friends”.
SP MLA Ragini Sonkar raised the issue of disparity in power generation and distribution in the state. She said that villages were experiencing power cuts for up to 12 hours, affecting daily life. She questioned what action had been taken so far regarding the difficulties in distribution.
Ragini Sonkar also objected to the purchase of electricity from the Adani Group at a rate of Rs 5.383 per unit on a 25-year long-term contract.
Responding to these allegations, Energy Minister AK Sharma said that the opposition’s allegations were baseless. He said that during the previous government in 2014, electricity was purchased at a higher rate. At that time, a contract was signed with KSK Limited to purchase electricity at a rate of Rs 6.25 per unit.
The Energy Minister claimed that electricity has been provided to 2.5 lakh villages and hamlets in the state. He stated that from 1947 to 2017, the total power generation in the state was approximately 6,000 megawatts, which has now increased to more than 11,000 megawatts.
During the session, senior SP leader and MLA Shivpal Yadav demanded 20 hours of power supply in rural areas and asked the Energy Minister to make a clear announcement in this regard.
Responding to questions raised about smart meters, Energy Minister AK Sharma said that smart meters are a better and more transparent device. He clarified that no additional charges are being levied on consumers who have regular meters, and both types of meters are functioning equally well. The minister assured that all complaints related to smart meters are being addressed.
The debate on electricity supply and environmental issues led to a brief period of commotion in the House.