Bhubaneswar: The new Congress president of State Unit Bhakta Charan Das has formed a committee to probe rising atrocities against women in State.
The party allege that as many as 1600 women have been killed in the state in the last 8 months of BJP rule.
“There has been oppression on women. Even now, oppression on women is increasing. About 7 women are victims of violence every day. This is very heartbreaking and unbearable,” the party said in a release.
Former minister Nagendra Pradhan is the chairman of the committee while former MLA Sujit Padhi, MLAs Sophia Firdous and Satyajit Gomang, AICC Women’s Congress
Editor Sasmita Behera, Congress leader Manas Malik and Lipika Majhi are prominent members in the committee.
The committee soon visited various districts, inspected the scene of the incident, and investigate the incidents.
Meanwhile, the party Thursday threatened to stage protests across Odisha if power tariff is hiked in the state from the upcoming financial year 2025-26.
Senior Congress leader and former minister Panchanan Kanungo said a hearing to hike power tariff is going on at the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC).
Different power supply stakeholders have submitted their demands before the OERC to hike the power tariff and the commission is conducting public hearings on their pleas.
“There is an apprehension among the domestic consumers that the power tariff may be hiked this time,” he said.
If the power tariff is enhanced by a single paise, the Congress party and its student, women and youth wings along with power consumers will launch state-wide agitations, he warned.
Youth Congress leader Yashir Nawaz, who was present at the press conference, said, “The Odisha government, in the state assembly, informed that they have waived off electricity dues worth Rs 4,097 crore to 14 industries in last 10 years. Similarly, electricity dues worth Rs 1,096 crore have been pending against 23 industries.”
When such a huge amount of electricity duty is pending against industrial units, on which basis, the power distribution companies have demanded for power tariff hike, he asked.
