Congress to put former Chhattisgarh govt's zero power cut status under lens

The erstwhile Raman Singh-led BJP govt had showcased the claim as one of its top feats during its 15-year rule

Chhattisgarh’s much-publicized zero power cut claim had come under the lens of new Congress government which says it plans to examine the status.

The previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government had showcased the zero power cut claim as one of its biggest feats during its 15-year rule. The then Chief Minister Raman Singh had asserted that Chhattisgarh was the first state in the country where there was no load-shedding.

“The state government would examine the matter to know the status,” Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel announced in the state legislative assembly today. He said that during peak hour there could be a shutdown in power supply.

Former Chief Minister Ajit Jogi alleged that despite the state government’s claim of no power cut in the state, there were supply interruptions in rural areas. "When government is claiming that the state is power surplus, then why there is load-shedding going on in the interior areas," he asked.

Jogi also raised the issue of alleged shaddy deals in power trading. “It had been seen that Chhattisgarh had bought power at Rs 9 per unit but sold it for just Rs 3,” he said.

Baghel clarified power tariff fluctuates according to demand. The tariff would be higher during peak demand. He said if his government was provided evidence, it was ready to probe the alleged irregularities.

Chhattisgarh had sold power to only Telangana in 2018-19. As on December 2018, the state-run Chhattisgarh Power Distribution Company had sold 4,626.30 million units of power to Telangana, which was due to pay Rs 1921.98 crore.