By Arun Pratap Singh
Dehradun, 22 Feb: While pressing for cut motions proposed by them during the passage of the Appropriation Bill, the Opposition members raised some pertinent issues.
Congress MLA Manoj Tiwari proposed cuts in the budget of the Transport Department in the Uttarakhand Assembly. He stated that the roadways depots in the state, especially in hill areas, are running at a loss and there is a shortage of bus drivers. He also questioned how many old buses were removed and how many new buses were purchased despite the instructions of the NGT. Additionally, he raised concerns about the outdated system of the Transport Department and the non-permanence of contract employees’ jobs.
Other opposition members also raised questions about the Transport Department’s functioning. BSP MLA Mohammad Shahzad accused the department of opening loot centres like fitness centres and called for their closure. BJP MLA Dilip Rawat emphasised the manual process of vehicle fitness, while BJP MLA Munna Singh Chauhan demanded better facilities for the Char Dham Yatra. BJP MLA Vinod Chamoli suggested redesigning ISBT and constructing separate bus stations for hill areas. Congress MLA Lakhpat Butola highlighted the problem of the limited number of buses in the hills and inequality in compensation.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prem Chand Aggarwal responded that a budget had been arranged for e-buses, with Rs 30 crores allocated for PM Bus Service and Rs 10 crores for charging infrastructure.
Congress MLA Vikram Negi proposed a budget cut for the Energy Department in the Assembly. He stated that the state government initiated the Solar Scheme, but the capacity of UPCL lines is insufficient. The power department has stopped issuing Technical Feasibility Reports (TFR), leading to a decline in employment opportunities. The solar project in Tehri is pending, and he demanded that solar subsidies be given directly to the beneficiaries’ accounts. Negi pointed out that 600 people had applied in Tehri, but only 485 received TFRs. He further mentioned that a plan had been submitted to upgrade DPR lines in Tehri at a cost of Rs 100 crore, but the budget lacked sufficient funds for this. He demanded an increase in this amount or a reduction to Re 1.
MLA Virendra Jati, speaking on the budget cut proposal, alleged widespread corruption in the electricity department. He stated that incidents of meter jumping are increasing, consumers are being harassed, and new tubewell connections are taking several months. He accused the electricity department of failing to increase its capacity, prioritising electricity supply to companies over farmers, and forcibly registering power theft cases.
MLA Qazi Nizamuddin questioned the significant losses incurred by the electricity department in Uttarakhand. He noted that the department’s loss increased from Rs 21 crore in 2021-22 to Rs 1224 crore in 2022-23.
On behalf of the CM, Aggarwal responded that smart meters are being introduced to prevent power theft and meter tampering. He stated that while the opposition talks about reducing the budget to Rs 1, the government aims to increase it, allocating funds based on departmental demands. BJP MLA Munna Singh Chauhan emphasised that life is not possible without energy and mentioned the increasing electricity consumption in the state. He praised the government’s solar scheme for creating employment opportunities on barren land in the mountains and noted that people are receiving zero bills from the rooftop solar project. However, he acknowledged that smart meters are not effective in preventing electricity theft and suggested increasing the capacity of the nearest substation for solar sector investors.
MLA Vinod Chamoli pointed out that both 33 kV and 11 kV are used in a 200 kW solar project and suggested using only 33 kV to increase power generation. He also mentioned that the discontinuation of the Centre’s solar project subsidy is also causing confusion among people.
