GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 4

Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday reiterated the state government stand to streamline the power supply by cancelling the power purchase pact that was executed during the SAD-BJP regime. 

He wrote: “Let us start with Congress High Command’s Pro-People 18 Point Agenda and get rid of the faulty un-negotiable Badal-signed Power Purchase Agreements through “New Legislation in Punjab Vidhan Sabha” fixing rates as per National Power Exchange with No fixed charges!”

He added, “Money spent on giving unreasonable & exuberant profits to Private Thermal Plants should be utilised for welfare of People i.e Giving Power Subsidy for Free Power for Domestic use (Upto 300 Units), 24 hours supply & to invest in Education & Healthcare !”

Elaborating the power subsidy, he wrote, “Punjab already provides 9000 Crore Subsidy but we must do more for Domestic & Industrial consumer giving power at Rs 3-5 per unit instead of surcharge inflated Rs 10-12 per unit, along 24-hour supply with No Power-Cuts & Free Power (Upto 300 Units).. It is definitely achievable.” 

Punjab already provides 9000 Crore Subsidy but we must do more for Domestic & Industrial consumer giving power at Rs 3-5 per unit instead of surcharge inflated Rs 10-12 per unit, along 24-hour supply with No Power-Cuts & Free Power (Upto 300 Units).. It is definitely achievable.

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) July 4, 2021

.@capt_amarinder Re your new rant on SAD govt's power agreements, 4.5 yrs is a long time to scrap any agreement. Who stopped/stops ypu? Do anything but save Punjabis frm long unbearable power cuts & bills. But it seems U want to be remembered for "BIJLEE MEHANGI, BIJLEE GULL" 1/2

— Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) July 4, 2021

People also responded to Sidhu. Some tweeted back saying that when he was given the opportunity to work by generating electricity, he refused to take it. Some people asked him to pay his electricity bills first. “How will companies generate and supply electricity if people like you do not pay the bills?” Some people have suggested him to quit the Congress and some people have praised him.

On the other hand, Sukhbir Singh Badal, through twitter has asked CM Capt Amarinder Singh to save Punjabis from power cuts and questioned him that if the agreements done during SAD tenure never suited, these could have been terminated.

He wrote, “Reg your new rant on SAD govt’s power agreements, 4.5 yrs is a long time to scrap any agreement. Who stopped/stops you? Do anything but save Punjabis frm long unbearable power cuts & bills. But it seems U want to be remembered for “BIJLEE MEHANGI, BIJLEE GULL”.

In another tweet, he said, “Those who plunged Punjab into darkness are blaming power cuts on those who made the state power-surplus. As PS Badal took over in 2007, Punjab was used to 16 hrs daily cuts. He took 3 yrs to make it power surplus-exactly the time u have taken to push it back into darkness.”