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BATHINDA THERMAL PLANT MOVE: Manpreet defends move, says industrial park on land a windfall for state
A day after the Opposition Aam Aadmi Party staged protest, Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Tuesday said that shutting down of the Guru Nanak Dev
A day after the Opposition Aam Aadmi Party staged protest, Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Tuesday said that shutting down of the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, Bathinda, will be a windfall for Punjab, paving way for creation of the largest industrial park in state.
Manpreet said the smoke-spewing power plant was shutdown three years ago due to environmental, economic, and administrative reasons. The state government had approved a comprehensive plan for setting up an industrial park or a pharmaceutical park which will revitalise and rejuvenate the economy of southern Punjab, he said during a press conference, defending the government’s move.
AAP MLAs, led by leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema, staged a protest near the FM’s residence on Monday, accusing the state government of doling out hundreds of acres of the power plant through PUDA.
Manpreet said that the state government will make a pitch for one of the three pharma parks being setup by the Centre or establish the industrial park where companies that are relocating from China will be invited.
“Water bodies and lakes are spread over 164 acre. Bathinda relies on canals for its water needs and has an existing storage capacity of 10 days of water supply. With the addition of these lakes, Bathinda will increase water supply storage by another 60 days,” he said.
The finance minister said that the 280-acre power colony of the thermal power plant will be used to accommodate civil and policy administration, ranging from deputy commissioner to Class-4 employees.
He added that not a single employee of the Bathinda power plant, including those on contract or employed through outsourcing, was retrenched and all were accommodated.
POWER ENGINEERS OPPOSES LAND ALLOCATION TO PUDA
The PSEB Engineers’ Association criticised the decision to allocate land of defunct Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, Bathinda, to PUDA. Association president Jasvir Singh Dhiman said, “The Bathinda unit was renovated from 2004 to 2014 as per CEA guidelines.” Association general secretary Ajay Pal Singh Atwal said the buildings constructed for power sector should have been used only for power sector activities and for further expansion to provide better services to consumers in state and not other purposes. The association said if state is determined to sell it, sufficient time should be given for disposal of valuable machinery installed in the plant.
