Delhi Cong stages protest demanding withdrawal of hike in PPAC rate

The Delhi Congress on Friday staged a protest at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's residence demanding the rollback of the hike in power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC) imposed by power distribution companies on consumers.

Party sources said several leaders and workers of the Congress' Delhi unit encircled the chief minister's residence, holding banners and raising slogans against the Kejriwal government.

Addressing the Congress workers, the party's Delhi unit president Anil Kumar said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made a ''false promise'' of providing subsidised power to Delhiites.

''Before becoming chief minister, Kejriwal spoke about loot of public money by power companies and demanded a CAG audit of the accounts of the DISCOMS. After becoming chief minister, Kejriwal changed his stance and started playing to the tunes of the power companies,'' Kumar alleged.

He further alleged the Delhi government's ''silence'' on the PPAC rate hike by DISCOMS ''establishes its complicity to fleece'' the citizens.

''Kejriwal indulged in empty rhetoric of supplying 200 units of free power. The truth is, Delhiites pay the highest power tariff in the country,'' he alleged.

Besides Anil Kumar, former MP Ramesh Kumar, ex-Delhi Minister Narendra Nath and former MLA Anil Bhardwaj also participated in the protest.

A power department official said the hike was made by the power discoms after approval by the DERC due to an increase in prices of fuels such as coal and gas.