Former minister T Harish Rao has strongly objected to the proposal of setting up the Telangana Rythu Power Distribution Company Limited (TGRPDCL) and has urged the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission (TGERC) to reject the license application. In a letter to TGERC on Wednesday, Harish Rao highlighted that electricity, along with water, funds, and jobs, was one of the core reasons behind the Telangana movement. He emphasized that electricity and farmers are inseparable in Telangana society.
Historical Context and Concerns
Harish Rao recalled that the power sector reforms implemented during the united Andhra Pradesh regime had led to the Basheerbagh firing incident. He noted that K. Chandrasekhar Rao had resigned from the deputy speaker post and launched the second phase of the Telangana movement in protest against the burden imposed on farmers through electricity charges. After the formation of Telangana, the BRS government gave top priority to the power sector and strengthened it with massive investments, enabling Telangana to provide uninterrupted and quality free electricity to farmers from January 1, 2018 — a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.
Allegations Against the Current Government
However, Harish Rao alleged that after coming to power, the Congress government had pushed the power sector into uncertainty through unplanned decisions. He expressed concern that the proposal to create a third discom in the name of “Rythu Discom” had created fear and confusion among farmers and electricity consumers. He doubted that it was an attempt to move the electricity sector towards privatization through impractical policies.
Objections Raised
In his objections submitted to the Commission, Harish Rao raised several concerns over the proposed third discom. He questioned how the state government announced that the Rythu Discom would begin operations from June 2 even before the public hearing process was completed, alleging that pressure was being exerted on the Commission to grant the licence. He pointed out that neither farmers, farmers’ organisations, public representatives, nor power utilities had demanded a separate farmers’ discom. There was also no cabinet sub-committee recommendation supporting such a move.
Harish Rao said the government itself admitted in GO No. 44 that existing discoms were facing financial stress due to the gap between billing rates and cost of service, proving that the proposal was financially driven rather than aimed at farmers’ welfare. He urged the Commission to conduct public hearings across all districts of Telangana instead of limiting consultations to Hyderabad, as the decision would impact all sections of electricity consumers in the state.
