BJP holds protest against conditions stipulated for free power
The Hindu
The BJP held a demonstration in Mysuru on Tuesday against the Congress government’s decisions to stipulate conditions for supplying free power.
The BJP held a demonstration in Mysuru on Tuesday against the Congress government’s decisions to stipulate conditions for supplying free power.
Krishnaraja Assembly constituency MLA T.S. Srivatsa said the BJP was a holding a symbolic protest against the conditions stipulated for the ‘Gruha Jyothi’ Free Power Supply Scheme for domestic connections in the State.
Though the Congress had given a “guarantee” of providing 200 units of free power to every household before the elections, the party’s government, after taking over the reins of administration, had begun imposing conditions.
The government has not only stipulated that each household’s eligibility for free power will be restricted to the monthly average consumed over the last one year, but also that restricted the availability of the scheme to just one meter connection in the name of a consumer irrespective of the number of connections in her or his name.
Mr. Srivatsa said several poor families had built more than one dwelling on small dimension sites of 20x30 or 30x40 sq.ft for rental income and the electricity meters of all the dwellings were in one name. The electricity meters of all the dwellings will invariably be in the name of the owner and not the tenants, he lamented.
The conditions had been stipulated only to deny the poor people the promised free 200 units of power supply, Mr. Srivatsa said.
The demonstration on Tuesday near the party office in Chamarajapuram in Mysuru was the second successive day of protest by the BJP, which had on Monday alleged that the restriction of free power to the last 12 months average, had poured cold water on the plans of several poor families that were planning to buy geysers, mixers and grinders. The condition will restrict the free supply of power to only around 70 to 80 units against the promised 200 units, the BJP alleged.
“We are judges and therefore, cannot act like Mughals of a bygone era ... the writ courts in the guise of doing justice cannot transcend the barriers of law,” the High Court of Karnataka observed while setting aside an order of a single judge, who in 2016 had extended the lease of a public premises allotted to a physically challenged person to 20 years contrary to 12-year period stipulated in the law.
The High Court of Karnataka on Monday declined to interfere, at present, in the investigation against a Bharatiya Janata Party worker, who is among the accused persons facing charges of circulating obscene clips, related to “morphed” images and videos clips related to Prajwal Revanna, former Hassan MP, in public domain through pen drives and other modes.
The 16th edition of Bhoomi Habba was held on June 8, at the Visthar campus. The festival drew a vibrant crowd who came together to celebrate eco-consciousness through a variety of engaging activities, creative workshops, panel discussions, interactive exhibits and performances, all centered around this year’s theme: “Save Water, Save Lives.”