Wadettiwar to raise issue of power bills in Cabinet
   Date :19-Nov-2020

Vijay Wadettiwar_1 &
 Vijay Wadettiwar
 
 
Staff Reporter :
 
Next instalment of flood relief package to be released by December 10, says Relief and Rehabilitation Minister 
 
Following the statement of Dr Nitin Raut, Energy Minister, about no relief to power consumers in Maharashtra, political blame-game has begun between the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government and opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Vijay Wadettiwar, Relief and Rehabilitation Minister and senior Congress leader, added another dimension to it saying that he would raise the issue of high power bills in the State Cabinet meeting. “The decision taken by Energy Department must be discussed in the State Cabinet meeting. Public sentiment over this issue is intense.
 
We realise that when people come to meet us and raise the issue of high power bills. If something wrong has happened on this count, it will have to be rectified. I shall raise the issue in Cabinet meeting,” Wadettiwar said, while interacting with mediapersons in Nagpur on Wednesday. There are a lot of complaints about wrong bills, Wadettiwar said. Affluent people and those who could afford have paid the electricity bills for COVID-19 lockdown period and later. Still, many people are unable to pay the electricity bills. If there is feeling of injustice in this class of people, it will have to be addressed. For the purpose, the issue will have to be discussed in State Cabinet.
 
If necessary, he suggested, aid must be given to Energy Department on the lines of one given to Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. As far as relief package to flood-hit farmers is concerned, the Relief and Rehabilitation Minister said that State Government would release the second tranche of Rs 2,700 crore out of total Rs 10,000 crore relief package, by December 10. Of Rs 2,297 crore released recently, Rs 200 crore has been distributed so far to affected people in four districts of Vidarbha region. For these four districts affected due to floods, aid of Rs 700 crore has been sought, he said. To a question about injustice meted out to Vidarbha region, Wadettiwar responded with a counter question, “When was injustice not meted out to the region?”
 
Wadettiwar accused the BJP-led Central Government of not extending any aid to Maharashtra for providing flood relief. “BJP, which is in opposition in Maharashtra, is mum on this. The opposition is levelling baseless allegations against MVA Government over issues relating to farmers. So far, we have sent three letters to Centre. But, no Central team has visited to assess the damage,” he alleged. In case of Nisarga cyclone, Maharashtra had sought aid of Rs 1,000 crore but the Centre had provided only Rs 268 crore. The heavyweights in the opposition should use their good offices and get aid for Maharashtra from the Centre, he quipped. The minister also commented on the financial assistance given to farmers under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. He alleged that the assistance given under the scheme was being recovered from farmers who were not income tax payers but filed income tax returns for education loan and other purposes. Only 22 per cent of farmers in Maharashtra received all three instalments so far, he claimed.