Restaurant owners file RTI against discoms

Deccan Herald: New Delhi: Friday, November 02, 2012.

The Delhi Hotel and Restaurant Owner’s Association on Thursday filed an RTI with Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission to know why the power distribution companies are being given preferential treatment in the Capital.

Angry over the inflated electricity bills of their hotel and restaurant premises since past two months, DHROA president Sandeep Khandelwal in the RTI raised many questions such as, why the distribution companies BYPL, and Tata Power are not made accountable to the government.

Khandelwal said the city government gave the office premises to these companies at 100 per cent subsidy. Then, why have they been exempted from the scrutiny by RTI or CAG, asked Khandelwal.

“If nobody can check their accounts, then how can the government know that these private players are running in loss,” said Khandelwal in the RTI application.

According to him, the bills of their hotel and restaurant premises have jumped from Rs 20, 000 to Rs 30, 000 in comparison with the power bills of the same month last year.  The DHROA has sent a copy of the RTI to chief minister Sheila Dikshit.

Social activist turned politician Arvind Kejriwal had earlier filed an RTI with DERC to find out the truth behind hike in power tariffs.