LUCKNOW, Oct. 17 -- Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state over alleged increase in power cuts and criticised the UP Power Corporation Ltd over new prepaid meters being installed in households. "The BJP government in UP has ruined the power system. Frequent power cuts have made life difficult for people...the power corporation is flouting its own rules and regulations," he said in a statement. "From September 10 to October 6, 1.74 lakh applications were received for new electricity connections, of which 37,043 applicants' cases remained pending. The Electricity Consumer Council also requested refund of the money collected from applicants until a final decision is made regarding smart prepaid meters. In this regard, the Electricity Act, 2003, was cited. This provides for consumers to choose between prepaid and postpaid meters, but departmental arbitrariness is prevalent," he said. On the issue of smart prepaid meters, Yadav stated, "Due to policy flaws in the power corporation's functioning, there are conspiracies to recover losses from consumers. The corporation has made it mandatory to purchase a prepaid meter with a new power connection. The government's intention is to mortgage the power system to capitalists." "Power connections for the poor will now cost Rs 6,000 instead of Rs 1,000. In villages, the connection charge for 1 kilowatt of load was Rs 1,172, which has increased to Rs 6,216, representing a 5.3-fold increase. With the support of BJP government, the power corporation is bent on imposing its unilateral decisions. Consumers are being forced to accept connections and electricity at inflated rates," he alleged. "Businesses face significant problems due to power outages, which is why no one wants to invest in the state. Inflation, unemployment and corruption have reached their peak under the BJP government. Jobs are not on BJP's agenda. The middle class, poor and labourers are all suffering under this government. Only by removing the BJP government in 2027 will people find relief," he added....