Goa’s new three-slab power tariff designed to squeeze Goans at peak hours, says Valmiki Naik

Goa Khabar : The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused the BJP government of turning electricity bills into a tool for looting Goans, after the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) approved a 4% annual hike in power tariffs for the next five years, effective from October 1.

AAP National Spokesperson Valmiki Naik said the new tariff system is “anti-people, illogical and nothing short of a cruel joke.” Naik slammed the government’s decision to divide electricity usage into three time slabs – 9am to 5pm, 5pm to 1am, and 1am to 9am – with peak-hour charges between 5pm and 1am hiked by 20%.

“Evenings are when families use electricity the most cooking, children’s studies, small businesses. And this is when BJP wants to punish people with higher rates. What kind of welfare government does this? Electricity, water and roads are basic needs, not profit-making ventures,” Naik said.

He added that in the last three years, despite similar consumption rate, bills have nearly doubled. “A family that paid ₹700 earlier is now paying ₹1,300 for the same usage. This is daylight robbery in the name of reforms.”

Naik also hit out at JERC’s decision to stop public hearings after approving hikes till 2029-30. “This is not just looting pockets, but also silencing Goans. People have been robbed of both their money and their voice.”

In 2020, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had launched a massive state-wide agitation against the BJP government’s power tariffs hike in Goa. As part of the campaign, AAP volunteers reached out to over 300 villages, highlighting how power bills had steadily doubled despite no increase in consumption. The party demanded that Goans too should receive 200 units of free electricity every month, similar to the AAP Model in Delhi. The agitation gained momentum with thousands of Goans supporting AAP’s signature campaign, which became a rallying point for affordable electricity in the state.

The protest culminated in a nationally televised debate between Delhi’s then Power Minister Satyendar Jain and Goa’s Power Minister Nilesh Cabral — the first-ever such debate between power ministers of two states. Jain’s arguments on Delhi’s surplus, affordable electricity model left the Goa government cornered, forcing it to announce a “free water scheme” in response. However, that scheme was later scrapped, with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant controversially remarking that “Goans misuse water,” which Naik termed as an insult to the people.

Naik declared that BJP’s priority is not public service but profit. “The government’s revenue from electricity keeps rising year after year. That is the proof, BJP is looting Goans through electricity bills and planning to make this profitable for its corporate masters.”