Steel sector strike hits livelihood, says Deepak Baij

RAIPUR: Amidst the ongoing strike by the Chhattisgarh Mini Steel Plants Association, the Chhattisgarh Congress on Thursday demanded roll back of the electricity tariff hike for steel plants and consumers.

Chhattisgarh Congress President Deepak Baij, in a press conference at the party office in Raipur, raised the issue of the electricity tariff stating that around 2 lakh people working in the steel plants and others associated with the industries are facing a crisis of livelihood.

“Around 150 steel units in the state have been shut down for over a week, putting more than 200,000 workers, transporters, and others associated with these industries in a crisis of livelihood,” Baij said.

Industry representatives have repeatedly requested the govt to meet their demands, but the government remains stubborn, he said.

The seven-month-old BJP govt has not only increased electricity tariffs for industries but also for common people. Although the government officially claims an 8% increase in domestic electricity tariffs, in reality, household electricity bills have doubled in the past two months, Baij alleged.

In comparison with neighbouring states, Odisha, the largest steel producer, has an electricity rate of around Rs 5.10 to Rs 5.30 per unit, Baij said adding that West Bengal, the third-largest steel producer, has a rate of Rs 5 per unit. Jharkhand and Jindal Park, other major steel-producing areas, also have rates of Rs 5 per unit, he said. Chhattisgarh, the second-largest steel-producing state, has an electricity rate of Rs 7.62 to Rs 8.50, Baij claimed.

Since the BJP government came into power, people have not been getting 24-hour electricity. There are unannounced power cuts throughout the state. In seven months, Chhattisgarh, which used to have a surplus of electricity, has become the centre of power cuts. Not a day goes by without power being cut for two to four hours, and the situation is even worse at night, he said.

The Congress party demand roll back the hike in electricity tariffs for households, industries, and agriculture. Similarly, the BJP govt published a notification in the official gazette, according to which the authority of municipal and municipal council presidents to sign cheques has been withdrawn and given to the chief municipal officer, he said.

The majority of the presidents in the state’s municipalities are from Congress, and this decision has been taken out of malice, he alleged.

Since the BJP government came to power in Chhattisgarh, the condition of cattle has deteriorated. The Godhan Nyay Yojana, run by the previous Congress government, has been shut down, leaving cattle to die on the roads, he alleged. The Congress party warns the government to find a concrete solution for stray cattle by August 15. If the government does not take action, Congress will conduct a Cow Satyagraha on August 16. “We will take stray cattle to all district offices, sub-divisional (SDM) offices, and other important government offices and leave them there,” he said.

On the event of the 77th Independence Day, the Congress party will hold Constitution Marches in all villages and wards across the state on August 14. Pledges will be taken to protect the country’s Constitution, and Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite hymn “Vaishnav Jana” will be sung. Congress members will carry the Indian Constitution, the tricolour flag, and pictures of Bapu during this march.

On the event of World Tribal Day, Baij said, “We demand that the state govt request the Raj Bhavan to sign the Reservation Amendment Bill passed by the previous govt. Despite having a double-engine govt, why are the rights of 32% tribals, 13% SCs, 27% OBCs, and 4% EWS stuck in the Raj Bhavan? We also urge the governor to sign the bill in favour of the state’s 32% tribal population on World Tribal Day.”

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