Bhubaneswar, Jan. 12: Senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra today accused the state government of adopting a soft attitude towards the private power distribution companies who want an increase in the power tariff.

'Due to the government's faulty policies, a power tariff hike is imminent. It should be opposed at any cost,' said Mohapatra.

Mohaptra said that people wanted to know why the state government did not appear before the Appellate Tribunal last year, when it was conducting a hearing on the issue of the power tariff. 'The government was a party to the case. The tribunal had also sent a reminder to the authorities. By not appearing there, the government allowed the private parties to get the order in their favour. It was clear that the government is hand in glove with the companies.'

The tribunal has directed the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission to identify unsustainable distribution losses incurred by Reliance Infrastructure managed distribution companies (discoms) such as Wesco, Nesco and Southco, and asked the commission to recover the same through a tariff hike. It has also annulled different tariff orders passed since 2006-2007.

Mohapatra said that if the tribunal order is implemented, the hike could be in the range of Rs 5 to Rs 6 per unit. 'The customers are likely to bear the burden of Rs 5,000 crore,' said Mohapatra.

He also alleged that the government had also failed to ensure that private companies minimise the losses in transmission and distribution. 'Why should the state suffer because of their incompetence?' he said.

Mohapatra also asked why no steps have been taken to collect Rs 2,000 crore from the three distribution companies. 'If I don't pay my power bill of Rs 1,000 within a month, I get a disconnection notice. Why such a stand is not taken in the case of the discoms,' he said.

Secretary of the energy department, Suresh Mohapatra, said: 'The commission has already filed a case in the Supreme Court against the tribunal's order. The commission will decide the tariff.'