TNI Bureau: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) today demanded the complete withdrawal of the Security Deposit (SD) charged from electricity consumers, free power supply of 300 to 400 units for domestic users, and full waiver of electricity charges for the agricultural sector in the state.

Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhawan, OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das said the existing power policy in Odisha was unjust to domestic and farm consumers despite the state being rich in coal and water resources. He announced that the Congress would organise a statewide protest by locking electricity offices on December 29 if the demands were not met.

Bhakta Das pointed out that electricity in Odisha is generated at low cost using the state’s natural resources, yet domestic consumers remain among the most exploited in the country. He said states like Punjab, Delhi, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu provide free electricity to all agricultural consumers and grant up to 300 units of free power to a large section of domestic users through subsidies ranging from ₹1,400 crore to ₹3,250 crore annually. In contrast, he alleged, only about 2 per cent of agricultural consumers and 7–8 per cent of domestic consumers in Odisha receive any form of relief, with no free units at all.

The OPCC chief further claimed that around 70 per cent of electricity consumed in Odisha is supplied to industries. A marginal increase in industrial tariffs, he argued, could make it possible to provide free electricity to all domestic and agricultural consumers. He demanded that the government stop forcing households to pay additional security deposits and instead provide subsidies to ensure at least 300–400 units of free power for domestic users and zero-bill electricity for farmers, in line with election promises.

He also highlighted environmental concerns, stating that while Odisha produces around 240 million metric tonnes of coal annually, only about 22 million tonnes are used for domestic consumption within the state, yet Odisha bears the cost in terms of pollution. He noted that Angul is among the most polluted cities in the country and that nearly 30 cities in Odisha, including Bhubaneswar, are affected by pollution.

Senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Srikant Jena questioned the benefits Odisha has received from power distribution companies despite the state’s mineral wealth. Former OPCC president Prasad Harichandan described the security deposit as an “unjust tax” on consumers and questioned why companies charge consumers 15 per cent interest on dues while paying only 6.5 per cent interest on consumer deposits. Former Finance Minister Panchanan Kanungo reiterated that the Congress would stand with electricity consumers on the SD issue.

Earlier, a delegation comprising TP-CODL CEO Arvind Singh, Chief Legal Advisor Bharat Bhadwat and Public Relations head Manoj Pattnaik had met Congress leaders and assured them that the party’s demands would be placed before the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC).

The Congress warned that it would intensify its agitation if the government failed to act immediately on the demands.