Punjab CM Amarinder Singh must take responsibility, says AAP

CHANDIGARH: All sections of society were affected by power cuts in the state and chief minister Amarinder Singh, who held the power portfolio, should take full responsibility, AAP said on Friday.
AAP state president Bhagwant Mann on Friday said due to non-availability of electricity, farmers involved in paddy transplant were unable to use tubewells.
“It is due to wrong power purchase pacts with the private players by the previous Badal regime that this problem has arisen. The private companies could shut down the thermal plants at their own discretion and even in case of closure of the thermal plants, the Punjab government pays a fixed charge,” he said.
He said so far around Rs 20,000 crore had been paid to the private power companies by way of fixed charges. Describing the protests being staged by SAD chief Sukhbir Badal over the poor power situation a sham, Mann said the SAD-BJP government had entered into wrong agreements with the private power companies.