Odisha BJP opposes privatisation of Central Electricity Supply Utility

BHUBANESWAR: The state BJP on Saturday demanded cancellation of the ongoing bidding process for involvement of a private player in power distribution by the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU).

State secretary of BJP Lekhashri Samantasinghar alleged that it is the fourth attempt by the state government to invite a tender, but it learnt no lesson from the past failures.

“After failing in providing uninterrupted power supply in the state, the BJD government is now up for selling of CESU. The most worrying fact is that the government is planning to sell CESU to one of an inefficient and inexperienced company India Power Corporation Limited (IPCL) that has no or little experience in power distribution and transmission. There are some restricting clauses in the bidding process which are restricting competent companies to bid for and favouring companies like IPCL,” Samntasinghar said.

She also alleged that the AT&C (aggregate technical and commercial) loss in the state is the highest in the country, so is the power tariff. “If Odisha is a power surplus state then why the consumers have to pay high tariff while in states like Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh power is Rs 1.50 and Rs 1.45 per unit against Rs 2.50 in Odisha.”

She also recalled the past bad experience with US-based electricity producer AES Corp where the later allegedly flew without paying Rs 400 crore.

“The state government failed to recover the tax payer’s money from AES Corp and now again giving it to an unexperienced company. Not many reputed power companies on the country are interested for the bid because there are challenges like unreliable electricity supply, low use of technology and outdated and obsolete infrastructure,” she said.

She also raised question over the posting of one officer in several important posts of the energy department leading to chaotic management. “Is the officer is so competent that he is managing 10 key positions of one and more department? Then why are these posts created if one man can manage all these singe-handedly?”

Odisha was the first state to privatise its power distribution sector into four discoms in 1999. CESU has been distributing power in Odisha for the last 25 years with an annual revenue of Rs3,200 crore and a consumer base of 2.2 million in central Odisha including Khurda, Cuttack, Paradip, Angul, Talcher and Dhenkanal districts.

However, the ruling BJD refuted the allegations. “The allegations of BJP are completely false and baseless. The BJD government has been working strongly in the energy sector and made Odisha a power surplus state that today other staes depend on the power generated in Odisha These allegations show the desperation of the BJP at the growth and development of the state due to the good works of BJD government,” said BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra.