The Congress government in Telangana is moving towards privatising the power sector in Telangana by handing over the distribution business in loss-making circles such as Hyderabad Old City to the Adani Group to begin with, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has alleged.

BRS leader G. Jagadish Reddy stated on Sunday that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy recently revealed in New Delhi about the government’s plan to hand over the distribution business in the Old City to the Adani Group on a pilot basis, citing poor revenue collection compared to energy supply. The broader objective, however, is to privatise the entire distribution business to the private sector gradually, he alleged.

Addressing a press conference along with former MP Badugula Lingaiah Yadav and party leader Kyama Mallesh, Mr. Jagadish Reddy said the pilot project planned for the Old City would not be restricted just to that circle but would be spread to other areas too, putting an end to free power supply to farm sector and subsidies to other categories of consumers while meters would be fixed to agricultural pump-set connections.

He said former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao had put his foot down against installation of meters for agriculture connections, but the present dispensation was trying to implement the policies of the Centre against the interests of farmers and a few other sections of consumers.

The former Energy minister also pointed out that energy revenue collection was 95% to 97% in Telangana but the current Chief Minister was trying to insult the people living in Old City by stating that only 45% bills were being collected there, as an excuse to privatise power distribution. He demanded that the government come out with clear details on revenue collection in the State, including in the Old City.

The BRS leader stated the Congress government was making tall claims about free power supply up to 200 units a month and that most of the consumers in Old City consume energy only up to that level.