PANJIM: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) objected to the “bullying tactics” of Power Minister Nilesh Cabral for threatening to disconnect power supply to those who have not paid their bills for three months while stating at the same time that bills would be issued after three months.
“How do you expect the common man to pay a three-month bill at one go when they are issued the bills after three months,” asked AAP leader Valmiki Naik who held Cabral responsible for the mess in the Electricity Department which cannot issue the bills each month.
He lamented that the BJP government in Goa has no consideration for the common man and wants to dump such heft power bills on them despite knowing that many have lost their jobs due to the lockdown while businesses are totally down particularly those run by individuals.
“What is really surprising is that Dr Pramod Sawant had the courage to waive of Rs 277 crore taxes of the casino industry, which is making a lot of money even during pandemic but could not offer any relief to the hard working common Goan,” Naik said.
Valmiki advised Cabral against using the non-payment of bill as an argument to promote the Tamnar Transmission project by destroying wildlife in protected areas and instead asked the minister to concentrate on generating hydel and wind energy.
He pointed out that the government would do well to promote the one-time settlement scheme so that additional amount could be collected.
Naik asked the department to concentrate on recovering the Rs 413 crore due to it from government offices and establishments which are the biggest defaulters, instead of harassing ordinary Goans who are already under financial distress due to the pandemic.
He claimed that the BJP government in Goa and particularly the Power Minister have failed miserably to address the power problems in Goa. AAP is not only providing uninterrupted power to consumers in Delhi but it is also free and cheaper than Goa.
