Consumers oppose Mescom's proposal to hike power tariff

April 3, 2012

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Mangalore, April 3: The 73-paisa hike in power tariff proposed by the Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (Mescom) met with strong opposition from consumer groups at the public hearing here on Tuesday. The decision on the tariff will be announced by the month-end.

Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) Chairman Srinivasa Murthy speaks at the KREC public hearing held at Deputy Commissioners office in Mangalore on Tuesday. DH?PhotoAt a hearing of Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) held at Deputy Commissioners office on Tuesday, Bharatiya Kisan Sangha General Secretary Satyanarayana Udupa said that Mescom is not taking any initiatives to control costs.

The average purchase cost of one unit of power is Rs 2.47. However, after adding other costs it shoots to Rs five. “Consumers are made target in case of cost increase but no work is done to decrease the other additional costs,” he said.

He said that Mescom is purchasing power from private companies by paying more than Rs 17 per unit instead of using alternative means. This power was allocated to Bescom. Hence, Bescom owes Mescom Rs 168 crores and the money is yet to be recovered, he said.

Speaking on behalf of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry S S Kamath discussed on the issues industries will face with increase in power tariff. “It is incorrect to go ahead with the tariff hike without showing the audited balance sheets. Mescom has not given details on subsidy granted by the government,” he said and complained that the substation which was supposed to come up at Baikampaddy has not yet come.

District Small Scale Industries President B A Nazeer demanded increase in the subsidy given to use solar power.

Teerthahalli Irrigation Pumpset Users' Association President Narasimha Nayak complained that there is a shortage of 2,000 line men. “The women from the region have applied for the posts but Mescom is not showing any interest in recruiting them,” he said and questioned on the reasons for disparity.

“The strength of executive and assistant executive engineers is more. For 60 subdivisions there are around 80 Assistant executive engineers,” he said and added that there is shortage of linemen and section officers in Mescom.

Karavali Ice Plant and Cold Storage Association President Ashok Kumar requested to consider the ice plant and storing industries as a separte category and give concession.

“Last year around four crore units of power was used but this year only three crore units are used. This is because several industries have shut down. We cannot compete with Kerala and Goa with the price hike,” he said.

In order to cater the consumer requirements, the Mescom has to buy energy from the generators, maintain its distribution system to its optimum level and also have a reliable consumer oriented approach, said Mescom Managing Director Vijay Narasimha.

Increase in power purchase cost, increase in operation and maintenance expenses on account of inflation and increase in interest and finance charges is directly attributable for the increase in average cost of supply, he said.

Mescom has requested the Commission to consider restoration of the cross subsidy compensation and also allow wheeling charges in cash and kind for all open access transitions irrespective of whether it pertains to NCE sources on non-NCE sources.

The cross subsidy surcharge is required to sustain the deficit cost in providing power supply to other subsidised categories like agricultural pump sets and others, he said.

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News Network
February 25,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 25: A day after Karnataka minister BC Patil felt the need for a law to shoot people who raise pro-Pakistan and anti-India slogans, another BJP MLA on Monday said such people should be shot at sight or exiled to the neighbouring country.

Appachu Ranjan, MLA from Madikeri, said a woman named Amulya had raised Pakistan Zindabad slogan at Bengaluru during a CAA-related meeting.

"People saying Pakistan Zindabad, despite living in our country- eating food and drinking water available here- they should be shot at sight. Or else such people should be exiled to Pakistan, and no one should should show softness towards them and fight cases in their favour," he said at Somwarpet in Kodagu.

Amulya Leona, a woman who raised pro-Pakistan slogans at an anti-Citizenship Amendment Act rally in Bengaluru on Thursday, has been booked for sedition and remanded to judicial custody.

She had raised "Pakistan Zindabad" slogans thrice after the organisers, under the banner of "Save the Constitution", invited her to address the gathering in the presence of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Agriculture minister Patil on Sunday had expressed the need for a legislation to shoot such people, and said he would make a request to the prime minister in this regard. "A law should be brought in the country that who ever raises slogans against India and in favour of Pakistan, they should be shot at sight. Bringing such a law is important," Patil had said.

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News Network
February 28,2020

Bengaluru, Feb 28: “Those who struggle to come up can understand people’s problems better. Yediyurappa is one such leader who has reached this position after a struggle,’’ said former chief minister Siddaramaiah, in praise of Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, who celebrated his 78th birthday on Thursday in Bengaluru.

Siddaramaiah was the only non-BJP leader on the dais, who not only attended the event, but was present throughout. He released a coffee table book, ‘A Leader who Saw Tomorrow’, on Yediyurappa’s life and achievements, compiled by The New Indian Express.

Dwelling on the political spectrum and human relationships, Siddaramaiah said, “Our ideologies are different, but that is limited to politics. Politics should not come between personal relationships.’’ Recalling his association with Yediyurappa, Siddaramaiah said that in 1983, he and Yediyurappa had entered the Assembly for the first time.

“Yediyurappa did not become chief minister just like that. It took years of struggle and hard work. We both have many similarities — neither of us came from political backgrounds. We came up through struggle and those who come from such backgrounds understand people,’’ he said.

Siddaramaiah said that it was Yediyurappa who first became chief minister, and he had reached the post only five years later. “I am five years younger than him, maybe that is the reason,’’ he said on a lighter note. Yediyurappa has become chief minister four times, but I have been chief minister only once, he added. He also spoke about how Yediyurappa had played an important role in bringing the BJP to power in the state, the party’s first government in South India. “Very few leaders know the pulse of the state and Yediyurappa is one among them,’’ he said.

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News Network
April 19,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 19: Former Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Sunday thanked Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa for backing his family regarding his son Nikhil s wedding, which drew flak for allegedly violating lockdown norms.

Asserting that social distancing was maintained during the wedding, the JD(S) leader in a series of tweets hit out at those accusing his family of violating lockdown norms, by stating that they were doing it out of "political hate".

"Despite maintaining social distancing and following rules during Nikhil's marriage, there are discussion that norms were not followed.

Because of political hate, poisonous comments are being made about an auspicious event, but Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa by rejecting all this is standing by the truth," Kumaraswamy said in a tweet in Kannada.

He said, "heartfelt thanks to Yediyurappa for his statement that a big political family in the state has conducted the marriage ceremony in a simple way."

Nikhil, the grandson of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, entered wedlock on Friday at a Bidadi farmhouse with Revathi, the grandniece of former Congress minister M Krishnappa.

On the day of the marriage several posts on social media, also media reports had criticised the Gowda family for violating locdown norms and social distancing during the event.

Coming to the defence of Gowda family, Yediyurappa in response to a question on Saturday told reporters "They (family) had all the permissions and the event was held in a simple fashion. There's no need to discuss this.

"Despite having many relatives, they stuck to the limitations. For this, I congratulate them," he had said.

Stating that lockdown rules were followed during Nikhil's marriage, Kumaraswamy said, "By looking for politics in Nikhil's marriage, certain faulty minds on social media are spewing venom that is in their mind."

Gowda family had scaled down Nikhil's wedding, which was earlier planned in a 95-acre land near Ramanagara with a lavish set, with lakhs of party workers and well-wishers in attendance, followed by a grand reception in Bengaluru.

Nikhil has acted in couple of Kannada films in the lead role.

He had contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls from the party bastion of Mandya and had lost against multilingual actress Sumalatha Ambareesh, an independent candidate supported by BJP, in a bitterly contested polls.

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