Leader of Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui (left) at his office in the Assembly in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Nagendra Kumar Singh

Patna, May 4: Leader of the Opposition Abdul Bari Siddiqui today asked the Nitish-led government to cut down the usage of air conditioners (ACs) and water by VIPs to deal with the issue of acute power shortage.

In the Assembly today, he said if the state government kneels down on the issue of power, then it was time they came up with some alternative.

Speaking about the power crisis, Siddiqui said: “The government has said it cannot do anything to improve the power scenario in the next three to four years. Nitish Kumar himself has said so and that is completely not acceptable. If the government cannot ensure proper supply of electricity and cannot distribute it accordingly, then they must prioritise things.”

He said: “Power failure is ubiquitous in the state. Therefore, the state government must stop the misuse of electricity and water in the season at first. The amount of water and electricity being used in the VIP areas is very high. They must not use AC now. If six or eight air-conditioners are used during official meetings, the number should come down to two. Secondly, the sodium light used in the residences of VIPs, must use compact fluorescent lamps which consume less power. Thirdly, if the government has failed in the power sector, they must provide generators as an alternative.”

The leader of the Opposition questioned why certain districts were receiving more electricity, while others were left out.

“Some districts in the state are not even receiving two hours of electricity, while other districts are receiving it for 22 hours. Places like Nalanda and Supaul are getting 22 hours of electricity and for Gopalganj, the supply is for barely three hours. Why is there such a disparity?” he asked.

“It has come to my notice that the state government is indulging in favouritism towards few industrial institutions and when some have tried to reveal this, they have been sacked. For example, Anand Shankar, former ADG (vigilance), Bihar State Electricity Board, tried to reveal the power theft by some industries after which he was transferred.”

The leader of the Opposition demanded a CBI inquiry in the power theft case.

“I have written a letter to chief minister Nitish Kumar to seek a CBI inquiry (into the theft cases). I have asked for a fair investigation so that the culprits are punished accordingly.”