Punjab Congress leaders Navjot Singh Sidhu and Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday pressed for immediate action on the power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed by the previous SAD-BJP government with independent power producers in the state, questioning the delay.
Sidhu, who has been taking digs at his party’s government for its handling of the power sector, demanded a white paper on PPAs to make Badals accountable and new legislation to make them (agreements) redundant. “A White Paper on PPAs must be brought in Punjab Vidhan Sabha to make Badals and other authors of these corrupt agreements accountable to people...I have been demanding this since 2017, but bureaucratic control of department corners people-elected ministers to mere showpieces,” the former minister tweeted, raising questions over the working of chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
The Amritsar East MLA, who has been at loggerheads with Amarinder ever since he quit the state cabinet in 2019, alleged that Badal-signed PPAs are looting Punjab and legal options against them are limited due to their protection from courts. “Only way forward is new legislation in Punjab Vidhan Sabha with retro-effect capping power purchase prices to make the anti-people agreements redundant,” he claimed. Sidhu had resigned from the cabinet after his portfolio was changed to power and renewable energy from local government.
Bajwa, who has also been critical of Amarinder throughout his (Capt’s) second term as CM, favoured renegotiation of these agreements immediately to stop the continued organised loot of the state exchequer. “Why is it that concrete steps have not been taken till date to do the same in Punjab? There has been a valid precedent and yet after four years of governing the state, the PPAs signed by the SAD-BJP government are still enforced. These agreements have caused irreparable financial burden to the state,” he said, citing the permission given by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) on July 1 to BSES to renegotiate its PPA with the NTPC-Dadri power plant.
{{/usCountry}}Bajwa, who has also been critical of Amarinder throughout his (Capt’s) second term as CM, favoured renegotiation of these agreements immediately to stop the continued organised loot of the state exchequer. “Why is it that concrete steps have not been taken till date to do the same in Punjab? There has been a valid precedent and yet after four years of governing the state, the PPAs signed by the SAD-BJP government are still enforced. These agreements have caused irreparable financial burden to the state,” he said, citing the permission given by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) on July 1 to BSES to renegotiate its PPA with the NTPC-Dadri power plant.
{{/usCountry}}The Rajya Sabha member said the officers who negotiated these anti-Punjab PPAs on behalf of the previous government are still holding important positions in the present dispensation. “These individuals can create a roadblock for any long-term change to the status quo,” he claimed. He further demanded 300 units of free power to every household, stating that the Congress had already sought to ensure 200 units. “The state government should focus on promoting the creation of new renewable energy infrastructure like solar power,” he added.