The pressure seems to be increasing on Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh from his own party leaders as they have once again criticised him for condoning the electricity issues in the state.
Congress MP Pratap Singh Bajwa has slammed the Punjab CM over his “extremely delayed” actions regarding the reviewing of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) by the previous state govt.
He stressed that the Amarinder Singh-led government had four years to focus on this issue but ignored it. He also urged the state govt to ensure 300 units of free power to all.
In a scathing letter, Pratap Singh Bajwa said, “The statement made by the Chief Minister of Punjab, that the state government is reviewing the ill-conceived Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) signed by the previous SAD-BJP government, is extremely delayed but absolutely necessary. These PPA’s have been an albatross hanging around Punjab’s neck, bleeding state exchequer dry
He went on to add, “The government has had over four years to focus on this issue. A suitable conclusion must be reached to ensure that the people of Punjab are no longer cheated by these agreements. I must further point out that the government of Punjab had promised a white paper on the issue in March 2020. Nearly 16 months later, no such information has been released by the state.”
Seeking free power units every month for each family, the Congress MP further wrote, “Moreover, the Punjab govt should also ensure 300 units of free power to all households. It is well known that Punjab provides over Rs 6,000 crore as power subsidies to the agriculture sector and Rs 4,000 crore to other sectors. Given the large social net covered by the present subsidies, to extend to every household across the state would be overall beneficial to the people of Punjab.”
Training guns at the state electricity department he said that for nearly sixty years, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) which was previously known as the Punjab State Electricity Board has been supplying power to the state since its inception in 1967.
“How is it, that after the consistent demands of power in Punjab during paddy season that the PSPCL is still unable to plan and ensure the uninterrupted supply of power to the people? The PSPCL must be held accountable due to it being chronically unprepared for the supply of uninterrupted power. Heads must roll and the government must take stern action against erring officials,” he stressed.
Pratap Singh Bajwa concluded his letter by saying, “The PSPCL’s lack of preparedness will only continue to harm the image of the state. Today, there is enough availability of technologies that predict the monsoon season months in advance. The information is easily available to the state machinery. A delayed monsoon is not an excuse that Punjabis will believe.”
