NT NETWORK
Panaji
The Goa Forward Party on Saturday alleged that the government has lied to the public in its White Paper on the status of purchase and consumption of electricity in the state.
Making this charge, the vice president of the Goa Forward Party Durgadas Kamat said that the documents submitted to the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) by the government state that 66 per cent of the power usage in the state is by industrial and commercial establishments, while the White Paper mentions that the domestic consumption of power was double of the industrial and commercial consumption.
Power Minister Nilesh Cabral had released a White Paper on the status of purchase and consumption of electricity in the state, last week.
“The year-wise increase in power consumption by domestic consumers, which stands at 4 per cent to 5 per cent, should change the perception that only industry wants power in the state,” Cabral had stated, pointing out that the claim that Goa is getting power for industries is wrong.
Addressing a press conference, Durgadas Kamat said that the petitions, which the state government have been submitting every year to the JERC, give false information to the Commission. “Based on this false information in the petitions, which includes information about power consumption in the state, the JERC is increasing the power tariff for the state,” he noted.
Kamat also said that these petitions had no audited statements as regards power usage in the state. He also said that in the absence of such audited statements, the government now says that the domestic power consumption in Goa is double the industrial and commercial consumption, which is just the opposite and hence
wrong.
The GFP leader also demanded that the Power Minister should clarify the error in the White Paper immediately. “Those who are responsible for preparing this erroneous White Paper should be exposed,” he added.
Kamat said that the government should get solar energy projects of the central government in Goa, for satisfying the power requirement of the state.