Bhubaneswar, March 26: The state is on the boil over the recently-announced power tariff hike with Opposition parties and consumer bodies threatening a state-wide agitation. The issue also rocked the Assembly for the second consecutive day today. The hike will be effective from April 1.

The Congress and BJP caused a ruckus in the Assembly stalling the proceedings for a long time before staging a walk out. Outside, Odisha Electricity Consumer Federation, an organisation that works for protecting consumers' interests, today issued a call for a dawn-to-dusk strike on March 31.

While the BJP will stage a demonstration in front of Raj Bhavan tomorrow demanding withdrawal of the hike, Congress announced its plan to hold demonstrations at all district headquarters.

Senior BJD leader and former energy minister Sujya Narayan Patro also criticised the hike. 'Though power tariff for agriculture purposes had not been revised for last 15 years, an increase should have been avoided,' he said.

The BJD, in its 2014 election manifesto, had promised free power for farming operations. The impasse in the state Assembly over the issue continued for the second day today as the Congress and BJP members did not allow the House to run, forcing the Speaker to convene a meeting to resolve the deadlock.

While Opposition leaders insisted that the issue be discussed in the Assembly and wanted the government to announce a rollback of the tariff hike, the BJD did not agree. 'The matter needs further examination,' said Parliamentary affairs minister Bikram Keshari Arukh after the meeting, which remained inconclusive.

Opposition leader Narasingha Mishra said the Opposition had given a notice for an adjournment motion but the government did not agree to have a discussion. He said while the state government had sought to justify the hike by citing the staggering amount the state-run Gridco owed to National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) as power dues, it had violated the directions the high court had issued on March 30, 2012, to compute within three months the water dues of the industrial houses which had been using water from various reservoirs and snap their water supply if they failed to pay on time.

The court, he said, had also directed various government departments and organisations to clear their outstanding dues by April 2012, or to face power disconnection.

'Had these directions been complied with, there would have been enough funds to clear the dues of the NTPC and the need for a power tariff hike would not have arisen,' he said.

Demanding rollback of the power tariff, Odisha Rajya Upabhokta Mahasangh president Panchanan Kanungo said that Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission had passed the order following the proposals of private power distribution companies.

'But, as the commission has revoked the licence of three of these companies, their proposals stand automatically cancelled. So, the decision of the commission should be withdrawn,' said Kanungo, a former finance minister.

State Congress president Prasad Harichandan announced that the party would stage demonstrations at all district headquarters on March 30.

BJP leader Bhrigu Buxipatra said that the party would stage a demonstration in front of the Raj Bhavan tomorrow.