Power tariff hike: Protests held across Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow: Opposition parties today staged dharnas against the power tariff hike in different parts of Uttar Pradesh, and submitted memorandums to the Governor demanding its immediate roll back.

Led by former UPCC president and MLA from Lucknow Cant Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Congress workers staged dharna and burnt effigy of the government. They also handed over a memorandum to Governor B L Joshi demanding immediate roll back of the "anti-people decision". The Congress leader said her party would continue to oppose the Samjwadi government`s decision to burden the people with the 26 per cent tariff hike. The BJP`s city unit led by former MLA Vidya Sagar Gupta held a protest before the power department office and similarly submitted a memorandum to the Governor. "The people of the state are facing problems relating to water and power. The government instead of solving them has increased the tariff," Gupta said, warning the government that the people can also unseat it if things continued in this way. On the call of the CPI`s state council, protest dharnas were staged at different parts of the state and memorandum to the Governor were handed over through the district magistrates. PTI