Maharashtra’s former energy minister burns ‘inflated’ power bills

BJP leader and former Maharashtra energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule burnt electricity bills here on Monday to protest against the state government for not giving relief to consumers who complained of inflated power bills during the pandemic.

Earlier this month, state Energy Minister Nitin Raut hinted at a major relief to the consumers facing the issue of inflated power bills, saying a Diwali gift was in the offing.

However, a few days back, the minister said the government will not be able to provide any relaxation in the inflated electricity bills and consumers will have to make full payment of the bills.

As part of the BJP’s statewide protest against the government’s decision, Bawankule along with other party workers burnt electricity bills on Monday near his residence at Mahadula in Koradi area of Nagpur.

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Bawankule last week demanded that those who consume up to 300 units of electricity daily should get waiver from bill payment for the March to June period.

He also said that people have lost jobs (due to lockdown) and several electricity consumers have received inflated bills. The government should correct these bills, the had demanded.

Raut last week said the state government will not be able to provide any relaxation in electricity bills.

The power firms were making huge losses, and it was a “mess” inherited from the BJP government, he claimed.