Closed Bathinda plant land: Punjab OKs redevelopment

CHANDIGARH/BATHINDA: In a step towards dismantling of the now-closed Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Power Plant in Bathinda, the Punjab cabinet on Monday gave its nod for the redevelopment of 1764 acres of plant land. However, the PSEB Engineers Association and Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant Employees Federation has vehemently opposed the decision claiming that it was against reforming the power sector.
Following the cabinet decision, the land, belonging to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), will now be acquired by Punjab Urban Development Authority (Puda), under an 80:20 revenue-sharing scheme.
Puda has also been allowed by the Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of chief minister Amarinder Singh, to raise loan up to Rs 100 crore for development and sale of the site with state guarantee.
The plant was shut down in 2018 as per the modalities worked out by a sub-committee set up on August 24, 2017, for the closure of the state-owned thermal plants in view of the Central Electricity Agency (CEA) guidelines to retire non-viable thermal power plants (TPPS) that have exceeded 25-year life span.
PSEB engineers’ association denounces move
Subsequently, another cabinet sub-committee was set up on May 18, 2020, to work out the modalities of the redevelopment of the Bathinda plant land.
The state government decided to redevelop the site to bring prosperity to the area by maximizing direct and indirect employment generation opportunities. The PSPCL board passed a resolution to hand over the land (barring the areas under the colony which is spread over approximately 280 acre) to Puda. Under the scheme, 80% profit from the sale of developed land, over and above the notional value of the land, goes to PSPCL and 20% is retained by Puda for its role as developer and for branding. Puda will rope in the services of professional agencies to advise it on the best possible utilization of different parcels of land.
The thermal plant was like a lifeline to Bathinda city and its foundation stone was laid in 1969 during the 500th birth centenary of first Sikh master Guru Nanak Dev.
Earlier, proposals were mooted to start solar power plant or starting one unit of the thermal as biomass plant but none proposal could be cleared.
PSEB Engineers Association General Secretary Ajaypal Singh Atwal said, "the association denounces the cabinet decision. The power assets need to be used for the purpose for which these were raised... Now we will study the cabinet decision before taking any further course of action". Guru Nanak Thermal Plant Employees Federation president Gursewak Singh said, "we vehemently oppose the decision as it is against the interests of the power sector. We will soon chalk out course of protests against this anti state and anti-employee decision."