Former chief minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday said that the BJP government is continuously cheating electricity consumers and has now started a new game of deception in the name of the solar scheme.
Hooda said that under the guise of the “Solar for Every Home” scheme, the government is adopting a policy of giving subsidies with one hand and taking them back with the other. “On one hand, the government claims to promote solar energy, while on the other, it is levying heavy fixed charges on consumers who install solar systems,” he said.
“If a solar consumer's electricity generation falls even slightly short of their consumption in a given month, the government slaps them with a hefty fixed charge, resulting in a full bill. What benefit does the consumer get from installing solar panels in such a scenario,” he questioned.
Hooda added that the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) and Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) have proposed a 15 to 17 per cent increase in electricity tariffs for the financial year 2026–27. He said this proposal would put an additional burden on domestic, commercial and industrial consumers, delivering yet another shock of expensive electricity to the public.
“The question is, if the corporations are running at a loss, what is the government's responsibility? Why isn't the government working to improve its efficiency and reduce losses? Why isn't the power generation and distribution system established by the Congress government in Haryana being properly utilized? Why is the burden of its failures repeatedly being placed on the public through expensive electricity,” he asked.
Referring to last year’s changes in electricity rates, the Leader of the Opposition said the BJP had already dealt a major blow to the public by altering tariff slabs. “By increasing electricity prices fourfold from April 2025, the government has broken the back of the common man,” he said.
Giving an example, he said consumers who earlier paid electricity bills of around ₹900 are now suddenly paying up to ₹4,000. “This is because the government imposed a fixed charge of ₹75 per kilowatt and made major changes to the tariff slabs,” he added.
Hooda pointed out that the new tariff structure was implemented in bills issued in June, resulting in exorbitant charges for connections above 5 kilowatts. For consumption up to 500 units, the rate is ₹6.50 per unit plus a fixed charge of ₹75 per kilowatt, while for consumption between 500 and 1,000 units, the rate is ₹7.15 per unit plus a fixed charge of ₹75 per kilowatt.
He stated that during the Congress government, four power plants and one nuclear plant were established, and electricity bills worth ₹1,600 crore were waived as a one-time relief measure. “The Congress never burdened the public with expensive electricity. However, the BJP has not established a single new power generation system or plant to date. Yet, they are continuously extorting money from the public by increasing the rates of essential services like electricity, education, and healthcare,” he added.
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