The Mumbai unit of the BJP has demanded that BEST Undertakinglevy only a minimum amount as electricity tariff from shops and businesses that were closed during the Covid lockdown.

Residential consumers should also be charged in a similar manner as a huge number of salaried employees have also lost their jobs due to the lockdown, it said.

The BEST Undertaking is one of the oldest power distribution companies in the Mumbai region. It buys power from Tata Power and other sources and distributes it in the island city area of Mumbai. It also runs the city bus service, which is one the largest public motor transportation systems in the country.

The BJP said in a press statement that BEST, which is a part of Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, had sent people electricity bills based on the average electricity consumption of the previous year. It is unfair to force the loss-making businessmen and the citizens who have lost their means of income to pay such an amount.

Mumbai BJP President Mangal Prabhat Lodha had a telephonic discussion with BEST General Manager Surendra Kumar Bagade on Friday, where he demanded immediate relief for the citizens of Mumbai from inflated electricity bills, the statement said.

It added that due to the global outbreak of the coronavirus, a lockdown has been declared across India since March 23. Industries and businesses in Mumbai remained completely closed during the lockdown. Businesses have suffered huge losses during this period due to the closure of shops and offices. Concessions in electricity bills will help businesses and citizens to recover.

Lodha demanded that BEST take an immediate decision on this serious issue. The Central government is giving various concessions to the citizens, and BEST should do the same, he added.

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