BJP to protest power tariff hike

The BJP announced on Friday that it will hold protests across Chhattisgarh on August 17 against the new electricity tariff which the party said has harmed consumer interests. The Chhattisgarh State Electricity Regulatory Commission has announced a 6 percent hike. The increase actually works out to 17-21 percent for the single-connection domestic consumers and farmers, Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik said.Questioning the timing of the hike after the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, Kaushik told the media that the Congress had promised to halve the electricity bill but had hiked it instead. Kaushik said that with the new tariff, power companies will earn Rs 1,671 crores revenue.