AAP Slams 12% Power Tariff Hike in Chandigarh, Registers Protest Before JERC Chairperson; Privatization Proved to Be a Blunder
Chandigarh, July 25 – The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Chandigarh unit has strongly opposed the 12% electricity tariff hike approved by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC), calling it a direct assault on public interest. AAP leaders formally submitted a memorandum and voiced their objections directly before the JERC Chairperson during the public hearing held at the Government Museum & Art Gallery, Sector 10, said AAP leaders.
This was the first tariff hike after privatization of the electricity wing in 2025, when the profitable government-run department was handed over to Chandigarh Power Distribution Ltd. (CPDL). AAP had opposed this privatization from day one, participating in city-wide protests alongside electricity department employees. “We had warned that this company would exploit the public to show artificial losses and hike tariffs today our fears have come true,” said AAP Chandigarh President Vijaypal Singh.
In the hearing, Vijaypal Singh, State Media In-Charge Vikrant A Tanwar, General Secretary Omkar Singh Aulakh, and Councillor Hardeep Singh pointed out that the electricity wing made ₹258.85 crore profit in 2020–21 under government management. Within months of privatization, CPDL has projected shocking revenue gaps ₹158.01 crore for 2025–26 and a total projected loss of ₹982 crore over the next five years all without any independent audit.
AAP also highlighted the decline in service quality since CPDL took over: frequent power cuts, inflated bills, poor grievance redressal, and arbitrary disconnections. “People are now paying more for worse services this is robbery, not reform,” Singh said.
Drawing comparisons with AAP-ruled Punjab, where 82% of households receive 300 units of free electricity, AAP questioned why not even a single Chandigarh resident gets any relief.
AAP demanded immediate rollback of the tariff hike, independent audit of CPDL’s finances, public performance review, and provision of at least 200 free units for domestic consumers. “If CPDL cannot serve people efficiently, its license must be cancelled and power supply must be returned to government hands,” said the AAP team.
