GUWAHATI, June 10 - Expressing concern over the proposed amendment to the Electricity Act, 2003, Rajya Sabha MP-elect Ajit Kumar Bhuyan has written to Union Minister for Power and New and Renewable RK Singh urging him not to go ahead with the decision.
Terming the move a highly contentious one, Bhuyan stated in the letter that the amendment will severely restrict the power of the state governments in giving benefits to the consumers of their respective states. Thus, it would have a serious impact on the functioning of the state governments so far as exercise of their executive and legislative powers in relation to �electricity� are concerned. As such, the amendment would be violative of the constitutional provisions, Bhuyan pointed out.
�The draft amendment in the present form would take away the power of the state governments and the ultimate sufferers would be the consumers, as the states will not have the power to take any policy decision in respect of electricity,� he said.
It is not understandable as to why, at a time when the country is passing through a serious crisis and everything has come to a standstill, the government is rushing through such an important Bill, which requires serious debates involving all stakeholders, he rued.
In a separate letter Bhuyan also urged Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to immediately take up the matter with the Centre so that the state governments� right over electricity remains unabridged.
