Chandigarh, October 7
Reacting to the notice of termination of power purchase agreements (PPAs) to four private power generating plants by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL); the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab senior leader and Leader of Opposition, Harpal Singh Cheema asked the Congress government of the state to clear its stand on the faulty PPAs reached upon by the Badals with three main private companies. He said the faulty PPAs architected during the previous Badal government must be scrapped as they were financially drowning Punjab with power crisis in the state.
In a statement issued from the party headquarters here on Thursday, Harpal Singh Cheema said the ruling Congress government has started playing new tricks to mislead the people on the issue of cancellation of power deals. “If the government can cancel power agreements with Durgapur, Raghunathpur, Bokaro and Meja Urja Power plants; then why can’t it scrap the faulty and costly power pacts reached upon by the previous Badal government,” he said.
Cheema said even former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu had admitted that unilateral agreements with private companies were robbing Punjab and the people financially. “Despite this, the Congress government does not have clear intentions and policies regarding the costly power deals made with Vedanta, GBT and L & T,” he added.
Harpal Singh Cheema said that every year crores of rupees are being spent on private power plants without purchasing power from them. He said so far the PSPCL had paid Rs 20,000 crores as fixed charges to three private thermals installed during the SAD-BJP government at Talwandi Sabo, Rajpura and Sri Goindwal Sahib and of this amount, almost Rs 5,700 crore had been paid without getting any supply, which raises questions.
Taking a dig at the Charanjit Singh Channi-led Congress government, the AAP leader said, “Like former CM Captain Amarinder Singh, the Channi government is also protecting the Badals in the case of faulty power deals.” Cheema said due to these faulty PPAs made by the Badals and the Congress’s attempt to save them; the people of Punjab are forced to buy expensive electricity. He said with the formation of the AAP government in Punjab, the deadly power agreements made by the Badals would definitely be canceled.
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