BJP holds protest against power tariff hike in Delhi, attacks AAP government

New Delhi: BJP on Tuesday held a protest against Aam Aadmi Party Government over power tariff hike, accusing it of failing to fulfil its promise to keep prices in check.

The party alleged that AAP was playing politics over the power issue and demanded that electricity prices be halved as Arvind Kejriwal's party had promised before the Assembly election.

Scores of BJP members held a protest at ITO and started marching towards the Secretariat but were stopped by Delhi Police, which barricaded the road. When the protesters tried to jump the barricades, police used water canon to disperse them.

Protestors were detained and taken to a nearby police station in a bus.

DERC on Friday had approved a 4-6 per cent increase in power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC), or the fuel surcharge, as it restored a levy charged to compensate the discoms for rise in cost of buying electricity on account of increase in coal and gas prices.

AAP has decided to oppose the DERC decision and may challenge it in court.

The AAP government has written to the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) to withdraw the recent hike in fuel surcharge saying the order was not in accordance with certain sections of the Electricity Act.