Jagadish Reddy charges Congress govt with attempting to privatise power sector through RDSS

Former Minister G Jagadish Reddy alleged that the Congress government was attempting to privatise Telangana’s power sector through RDSS and prepaid electricity meters. He warned that the move would affect consumers and farmers, and announced that the BRS would launch protests against the policy

Hyderabad: Suryapet MLA and former Minister G Jagadish Reddy charged the Congress government with attempting to privatise the power sector in Telangana through the implementation of the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) and the proposed installation of prepaid electricity meters.

He said the BRS would launch an agitation against the implementation of RDSS and prepaid electricity meters in Telangana. He cautioned that the move would adversely affect not only farmers but all consumers currently benefiting from free electricity schemes.

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Speaking to mediapersons at Telangana Bhavan here on Sunday, Jagadish Reddy said former Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao had opposed the RDSS policy from the beginning despite pressure from the Centre. He stated that prepaid meters under the scheme would require consumers to recharge their electricity accounts in advance, failing which the power supply would be disconnected.

“The Congress government is planning to install such meters in every household and is thus preparing the ground for privatisation of the electricity distribution system,” he remarked. He alleged that the government was considering the creation of a separate Rural DISCOM and that efforts were underway to hand it over to private corporate firms.

Jagadish Reddy also referred to protests against RDSS-linked meters in Uttar Pradesh and pointed to a similar proposal that was withdrawn in Andhra Pradesh after public opposition. He ridiculed the Congress’s double standards, saying it was opposing the move in Uttar Pradesh while implementing it in Telangana.