LUDHIANA, August 30: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari today wondered whether there was any transparent power tariff policy in Punjab. “Of late the power tariff in Punjab has become oppressively exorbitant with common man being made to pay through the nose”, he remarked in a statement issued here today. Responding to and sharing the concern over the regularly inflated power bills across the state, Tewari said, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited has been imposing unexplained and arbitrary tariff and other charges on the helpless consumers who do not have any option but to pay their bills.

The Minister said, the state government has failed to respond to the complaints of the inflated bills by the PSPCL. “Sometimes the consumers are told that these are the advance charges and sometimes the security deposit for 45 days”, he pointed out while asking for the justification of these extra charges.

Tewari said, several domestic households have received the electricity bills which are more than their monthly income. Similarly, he added, several small and medium scale industrial units are on the brink of closure only because they are not in a position to pay their electricity bills.

Asking the state government to be more considerate and humane, the minister remarked, “the power tariff in Punjab looks more like the punitive tax imposed on people during medieval times”. He pointed out, Punjab had the second highest power tariff in Punjab while the supply was among the worst.