Delhiites ready to stage protest

The Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) across the Capital have decided to take up the cudgels for the hapless consumers who are at the receiving end of the recent government decision to hike power tariff. Rajat Arora reports.

The Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) across the Capital have decided to take up the cudgels for the hapless consumers who are at the receiving end of the recent government decision to hike power tariff.

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To protest against the hike, RWAs are contemplating a civil disobedience movement. “If the government doesn’t roll back the hike immediately, we will resort to a civil disobedience movement. We are not going to pay up inflated power bills,” said Pankaj Agarwal, general secretary, Delhi RWA Joint Front.

Signature campaigns and dharnas are also being planned across the Capital to register protest against the steep hike. Come Friday, RWAs in south Delhi will sit on a dharna in front of the BSES office near Savitri cinema.

“We’ll also be meeting area councillors and MPs to petition against the hike and to know their stand on the issue,” said Ashok Bagga, president of GK-II welfare association.

The strong reaction has come after the Delhi government announced increase in power tariff by 22%. RWAs are also planning to put up hoardings against the tariff hike in their respective areas.

RWAs are regularly conducting meetings to chalk out the strategy of protest. “Why should consumers face the brunt of hike when the losses incurred by discoms have decreased?” asks PK Roy, secretary EPDP Association, an umbrella body of 25 RWAs in Chittaranjan Park.

RWAs feel tariff hike will only compound problems of the common man as civic agencies too will try to pass on their burden by hiking charges on their services.

“It will be wrong to say that it is only hike in power tariff as it will actually affect the whole economy,” said Rajesh Sehgal, president, of Mayur Vihar’s Phase II (Pocket-B) RWA.