Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Patiala, August 9, 2021: Bir Devinder Singh, former Deputy Speaker, Punjab Vidhan Sabha criticized Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu for their recent statements regarding on the cancellation of Power Purchase Agreements (PPA).
“PPCC President Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh, both are bizarrely engaged in making absurd and deceptive statements, regarding the cancellation of PPA (Power Purchase Agreements). The position of the Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh in the case of Power Purchase Agreements has been apprehensively suspicious from the very beginning of his second term as Chief Minister. It is pertinent to mention here that former power minister Rana Gurjit Singh made a flashy and flamboyant Statement in 2017 that Capt. Government would review, all excessively unjust power purchase agreements, accepted by the previous regime of Parkash Singh Badal, but weirdly, not even a ripple moved after that on this count. What silenced and stopped Gurjit Singh Rana to initiate concrete action in the matter, is a story untold, till date,” said Bir Devinder Singh.
Devinder said that Sidhu is once again making paradoxically statements that when Congress government would come in power the electricity will be reduced to Rs. 3 per unit.
“I wonder which ‘Congress Government’ he is referring to other than the present one, headed by Capt. Amarinder Singh. Why should people believe these hollow claims of the congress leaders, when the present Government did not do anything; neither to reduce the power tariff in Punjab, nor initiated any palpable action to review the atrocious anti people, Power Purchase Agreements approved by previous Badal Government,” he adde.d
The leader said Punjab CM owes an explanation to the people of Punjab that pertains to his bold announcement soon after the Governor’s address in January 2020 that his Government will bring out a comprehensive ‘White Paper’ on the cost of the power and Power purchase agreements, undertaken by the previous Government. He then passed an explicit order on the file dated 17 January 2020 whereby he unequivocally ordered to ACS (Additional Chief Secretary, Power) Anurag Aggarwal to begin exercise in the matter forthwith, with the required diligence and the Chief Minister in his 17th January note, sent to ACS (Power) , vividly desired that he wishes to present the ‘White Paper’ in the next session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, preferably in the Budget Session.
“The so-called ‘White Paper’ has never seen the light of the day till date and mysteriously enough the same bureaucrat continue to be there as ACS (Power) without any accountability and despite not taking any concrete action in the matter, reason best known to the Chief Minister. Now again on July 28, the Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh has ordered Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to cancel or revisit all one-sided power purchase agreements (PPAs) with private companies that are not contractually obligated to supply sufficient power to meet Punjab’s peak demand during the paddy sowing and summer season.
The CM also explicitly directed the PSPCL for the revocation of PPA of Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) Mansa for the reason that their facility failed to perform in the current paddy season and the their PPA is biased in favour of the company. The PSPCL has put the inscrutably vague directions of the Chief Minister ; ‘Cancel or revisit’ on the back burner; if not in the dust bin and no tangible action appeared to have been initiated as usual, by the bureaucratic lobby , having vested interests in the power sector at the cost of Punjab and its people,” he added.
