BRS leader accuses Congress government of burdening consumers with higher electricity bills, warns of statewide agitation if proposed charges are not withdrawn
Hyderabad, Oct 2026 : BRS Legislature Party Deputy Leader and former minister T. Harish Rao has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposed Rs 5,420 crore true-up electricity charges to be recovered from consumers, warning that the party would launch a statewide agitation if the Congress government fails to reverse the decision.
Addressing a press conference at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday, Harish Rao accused the state government of imposing an additional financial burden on consumers during the festive season. He said the proposed charges would be collected through electricity bills from November, adding that people were already facing power-related problems.
“On one hand, there are power cuts, and on the other, people are being hit with higher electricity bills,” Harish Rao said.
He appealed to Left parties and other opposition groups to join the BRS-led campaign against the proposed charges and said the government should bear the financial burden arising from its electricity purchase decisions instead of passing it on to consumers.
Harish Rao questioned the need for purchasing electricity from outside the state at rates of Rs 10-12 per unit when Telangana’s existing generation capacity, according to him, was not being fully utilised. He claimed thermal power plants were operating significantly below their installed capacity.
He said Telangana had a total thermal power capacity of 13,384 MW, but generation was currently below 8,000 MW, resulting in a gap of around 40-45 per cent. He also alleged that farmers were facing power cuts and low voltage and that protests were being held at several substations.
The former minister accused the Congress government of failing to manage coal supplies, reservoir levels and thermal and hydropower generation. He questioned why consumers should be made to pay for what he described as administrative failures.
Harish Rao also recalled the issue of electricity tariffs during the BRS government. He said the Telangana Electricity Regulatory Commission had proposed true-up charges of Rs 12,718.40 crore for the period from 2016-17 to 2021-22 during the BRS regime. However, he claimed that then Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao had refused to impose the burden on consumers.
He said the electricity issue had played a significant role in the Telangana movement and recalled the 2000 Bashirbagh firing during protests against tariff hikes, in which three people were killed.
Highlighting the BRS government’s record in the power sector, Harish Rao claimed that nearly Rs 91,000 crore had been invested during its tenure. He said the state’s power generation capacity had increased from 7,778 MW before the formation of Telangana to 19,450 MW by December 2023.
He also cited an expansion in the state’s transmission infrastructure. According to him, the number of 400-kV substations increased from six to 30, while 220-kV substations rose from 51 to 103 and 132-kV substations from 176 to 251.
The former minister said extra-high-tension transmission lines expanded from 16,378 km to 28,131 km, while transformer capacity increased from 14,973 MVA to 38,941 MVA.
Harish Rao further claimed that the previous BRS government had added 6,480 MW of thermal power capacity and 3,600 MW of solar capacity. He referred to projects including the 800-MW Kothagudem thermal plant, 1,080-MW Bhadradri project, 600-MW Bhupalpally project and a 4,000-MW ultra-thermal power plant.
He alleged that the Congress government had failed to add new generation capacity or substations after coming to power. Instead, he accused it of attributing shortages to El Nino-related conditions despite the availability of water and coal.
Harish Rao also raised allegations concerning the management of water and coal resources. He claimed that water was being released downstream without adequately filling reservoirs and alleged irregularities in coal production and accounting.
The BRS leader also criticised what he described as moves towards privatisation of state power sector entities, including TG Transco, TG Genco, Singareni Collieries Company Limited and electricity distribution companies. He specifically referred to a proposed sale of a 26 per cent stake in Transco and urged employees of the power sector to oppose any such move.
He demanded that the government withdraw all privatisation proposals and maintain the public character of the state’s power utilities.
Harish Rao also repeated BRS allegations regarding more than 40 lakh tonnes of coal stock valued at around Rs 1,600 crore. He alleged irregularities in its reporting and in the payment of associated taxes, cess and corporate social responsibility obligations. He said the BRS had previously raised the matter and sought action from Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy.
The BRS leader said the proposed true-up charges should be withdrawn immediately and insisted that the government should bear the financial burden linked to its power purchases.
He warned that if the charges were not withdrawn and the government failed to absorb the proposed burden, the BRS would launch another public movement across Telangana. He said the party would seek the support of opposition groups and citizens in opposing what it described as an additional burden on electricity consumers.
