AGARTALA, July 7 (TIWN): Petrol (Gasoline) price in Agartala today increased at Rs. 73.35 and Diesel price is Rs. 68.54 Per Litre as. Compared to Yesterday Petrol price changed by Rs. 2.44 paise and diesel Rs. 2.39 litre. The hike was measured after Union Budget was announced on July 5 declaring special additional excise duty (SAED) as well as Road and Infrastructure Cess by Rs 1 per litre each on automobile fuels. However, when prices of commodities are going higher, there is no increase much in the income of the people in states like Tripura. On the other side, Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) has announced to increase power charge soon alleging that in last 4 years power charges were not increased which has been troubling the department with massive debts.The decision came when massive load-shedding problems have hit Tripura’s hospital service as well as banking service, haunting normal lives of common men. Mostly the rural and ADC areas are the highest victims of such problems.

On yesterday, TIWN has published news today how Gachiram Para like areas are suffering from poor electric service, hit the malaria patients of local PHC. Patients are bound to lay on floor as no electricity is in the hospital. But Deputy CM, Power Minister Jishnu Dev Barman has rubbished the power shortage allegation in all means and has made it clear that there is no shortage in power surplus in Tripura.

Recently Power Minister Jishnu Dev Barman has claimed that Tripura has enough power-surplus. He said, Tripura Govt is getting 63 MW from Rukhia, 42 MW from Baramura, 10 MW from Dumboor, 100 MW from Monarchak, 130 MW from central share and from OTPC 725 MW.Tripura needs 300 MW power whereas Nepal and Bangladesh are getting power from Tripura. But amid such claims also, public are complaining about massive power cut problems in the state.

TSECL has launched a new project named in Bengal “Vidyut Nigam Aponar Dorgoray”. Toll free numbers have also given 1912 for registering complaints, but customers have alleged that this number is not always functioning properly.  

Blaming the previous Communist Govt, Jishnu Debbarma recently said, “The previous Govt’s unplanned, visionless observations are responsible for poor infrastructure of the dept bound the present BJP Govt to take loan of 1200 crores from Asian Development Bank (ADB)”, added Deputy CM.

Counterattacking Jishnu Dev Barman’s claim, former Power Minister of previous CPI-M Govt Manik Dey said that it was Left Government which developed infrastructure from 5% to 100%.

He also ensured, no low quality machine was bought by the Govt, rather due to non-maintenance under the present BJP Govt transformers were blasted.

“All machines one day will become old. In this condition, either we have to maintain them or replace them. So, it’s meaningless to blame the previous Govt for own failure”, he said.

Dey further suggested Power Minister Jishnu Debbarma to go for field visits and talk with field workers. In office the Minister can get technical status but on ground there are separate types of problems. So, including all such problems Govt has to work for the solution.

Manik Dey also rubbished the idea of loans, saying central Govt should not ask states to take loan, rather it should go for ‘grant’.