Stop corporate malpractices

If estimates submitted by BEST are to be studied, it will be found that the undertaking has proposed to purchase an additional 110 million units which will cause burden of Rs130 crore. Last year, there was 1.5% growth in number of power consumers. Industrial demand has gone down by 5%. Despite all this, BEST has shown a rise of 4.2% (consumers) which otherwise should be around 1.5% to 2%. In such a situation, the undertaking has proposed to purchase 110 million units extra.

There is no limit on the high cost power to be purchased from the open market as is the case with the state power utility and hence both RInfra and BEST have taken a casual attitude towards procurement. Under the garb of ensuring uninterrupted power supply to Mumbaikars, the utilities are procuring high cost power which is over Rs8 per unit whereas the average cost is around Rs4. Both these utilities are requested to bear the differential price instead of passing the entire burden on the consumers.