BJP alleges ‘financial irregularities’ in Delhi discoms, seeks probe

The Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit on Tuesday sought a probe into alleged financial irregularities in the power distribution companies, or discoms.
In a memorandum submitted to lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, the BJP delegation led by city unit chief Virendra Sachdeva accused the ruling Aam Aadmi Party government of “helping the discoms score undue financial gains.”
“We have met the LG and demanded an inquiry into the role of Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government in providing windfall gains to the discoms in Delhi and seeking recovery of the Delhi government utilities with the power distribution companies,” PTI quoted Sachdeva as saying.
“It is a strange irony that all three power discoms sell electricity at the same rates, purchase it at the same rates, and supply it through the same Transco network, yet one consistently makes a profit while the other two continue to operate at a loss,” the BJP leader added.
Sachdeva alleged that AAP leaders received kickbacks from the power companies and questioned why the AAP government did not revoke the license of the private companies that have consistently reported losses.
“The silence of the AAP government over the retention of Regulatory assets and non-payment of Delhi Government Power Companies dues clearly indicates towards the possibility of connivance of the government and kickbacks going to the ruling party,” he said.
Virendra Sachdeva said that discoms have been posting Regulatory Assets for the last 11 years alleging losses, which is a violation of the National Power Tariff Policy and yet the Delhi government has not cancelled their licence.
According to tariff guidelines, regulatory Assets can be posted in the ‘rarest of rare’ circumstances as these are to be borne by the exchequer, he said.
Last week, East Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj claimed that the losses of the two discoms were categorised as regulatory assets, now exceeding ₹21,000 crore.
She criticised the private firm managing the discoms, suggesting that consistent financial losses signal “mismanagement and potential collusion with the AAP government.”
Swaraj said that the Delhi government owes power generation companies ₹26,638 crore due to delay in payments.(With PTI inputs)