Govt may offer power subsidy to more people

The Delhi government may include more numbers to the list of beneficiaries who are given subsidy on power consumption.

The Delhi government may include more numbers to the list of beneficiaries who are given subsidy on power consumption.

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With pressure mounting from the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the AAP, the government may announce the change on Tuesday when it seeks the vote to clear the budget.

While the government gives a subsidy of R1 on each unit of electricity to frugal consumers who consume up to 200 units a month, sources said the government may offer it subsidy to consumers who use up to 300 units now.

“The government had earlier planned to offer this after tariff revision by the electricity regulatory commission later this year. But there is lot of pressure from all quarters and the government may announce this revision now,” a source said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi urban development minister Arvinder Singh on Monday said the government will take up development works in 40 more unauthorised colonies now.

Singh also tabled the list of colonies in the assembly. The government had given provisional regularisation certificates to 1,218 colonies in 2008 and had regularised 895 colonies in September 2012.

Development works such as laying of sewer, water lines and construction of roads was also started by the government. The government in January this year had released another list of 91 colonies and had also started development works.

“With these 40 colonies, the total number of colonies where development works has begun goes up to 1,026. We will soon take up the remaining 192 colonies,” Singh said.

The assembly also witnessed uproar on the issue of the arrest of alleged Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Syed Liyaqat Shah. While BJP leader V K Malhotra welcomed the arrest of Shah, Okhla MLA Asif Mohammed Khan questioned the role of Delhi Police on the issue.

“I condemn all those who seem to support Liyaqat. It is a question of Delhi’s security. Nobody should play politics on the issue,” Malhotra said. Khan, however, demanded a proper inquiry into the whole controversy.