AAP launches hisaab do website

Mumbai: Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday launched a state wide campaign in Maharashtra, called ‘Hisaab Do’.

Shedding light on the campaign, the party in a statement said, “As part of the campaign, hisaabdo.in, a website which serves to automate complaint filing by anguished consumers with the MERC and the Government of Maharashtra, against extremely high bills across the state, was launched. The website also has a built in ‘Bill Calculator’ to enable the consumers to compare their bills, with the tariffs under the Delhi government.”

While launching the campaign, Durgesh Pathak, AAP’s National executive member, said, “The Delhi government has revolutionized governance in India, through the Delhi Model of Governance. Delhi has the cheapest power tariff in the country and has recognized power as basic dignity for every citizen and has thus ensured consumption of 200 units of electricity, to be absolutely free. If this can happen in Delhi, then why not in Maharashtra?”

Dhananjay Shinde, Secretary, AAP Maharashtra, said that if Delhi government could implement these long overdue power sector reforms, why can’t Maharashtra do the same. “The Delhi government could implement these long overdue power sector reforms, due to political will and it’s honesty of purpose, to benefit the end user. In Maharashtra, we have had some of the largest tariffs in the country coupled with the issue of load shedding in rural areas. Such high power bills are. unacceptable. How did the situation come to this?” said Dhananjay Shinde.

Adding to this, senior AAP leader and spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon said, “We were told that privatization, will improve overall efficiency, by promoting competition and the benefits being passed onto the end consumer, but instead we have seen only sky high bills with Mahavitaran, going to the extent of saying payments haven’t been adjusted, despite being made and Adani Power looking at power distribution not as a public utility but as a cash cow. Not only, have correction rates been added at one go to these bills, but the cumulative additions have also been billed to the highest slab.”

Ranga Rachure, AAP Maharashtra Convenor, demanded that consumption of upto 200 units of electricity be made free for the domestic consumer. “This a people’s movement, people deserve the right to know. It is only lack of political will which is stopping the government from implementing these reforms. We will hold these discoms accountable. We demand that consumption of upto 200 units of electricity be made free for the domestic consumer as well as rationalization of fares across the board by the MERC”, he said.