BRS Demands Scrapping of Rythu Discom
The BRS on Tuesday demanded that the state government withdraw its decision to establish the Rythu Discom, declaring that the party would not “tolerate Congress’ conspiracies that effectively placed a noose around the farmer’s neck.
Hyderabad: The BRS on Tuesday demanded that the state government withdraw its decision to establish the Rythu Discom, declaring that the party would not “tolerate Congress’ conspiracies that effectively placed a noose around the farmer’s neck.”
In a statement, BRS senior leader and former minister T. Harish Rao said the party strongly condemned GO 17 which was issued on Monday establishing the Rythu Discom.
The orders were issued despite objections raised by BRS, other political parties, employee unions, power sector experts, social activists, and farmers, he said.
The creation of a power distribution company exclusively for farmers, is a conspiracy intended to bury the free electricity scheme, Harish Rao said.
He said with a mere 2,000 staff, the Rythu Discom was expected to serve 3,062,853 connections — comprising 3,060,861 agricultural connections, 512 lift irrigation schemes, the HMWS&SB, and Mission Bhagiratha.This, he he added, was an impossible task.
Even the allocation of 25 per cent of thermal power produced in the state to the new discom was fraught with dangers as it would simply not be enough.
Thermal power accounted for 53.28 per cent of the state's power allocation, while the share of solar power was 35.31 per cent.
“Solar power is generated only during the day and is unavailable at night. Is the Revanth Reddy government — which promises 24-hour free electricity to farmers — planning to supply power only during the day and leave farmers in the dark at night,” he asked.
Even the entire 2,325 MW of hydel power allocated to Rythu Discom was available only for three or four months a year. “This means no hydel power will not be available for farmers.
How will operations be managed then,” Harish Rao asked.