Channi announces vigilance probe into PPAs

Channi added that this vigilance probe into PPAs will nail SAD-BJP leaders who profited at the expense of the state exchequer; he also assured that investigations into sacrilege and drug cases would be brought to a logical conclusion

Chandigarh Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday announced a vigilance bureau probe into Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) that the state entered into from 2007-2017, the decade that the SAD-BJP alliance held power.

The vigilance probe into PPAs has been ordered for the time period 2007 to 2017, when the SAD-BJP regime held power, said Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi. (HT Photo)

Addressing the House after the tabling of the White Paper on power sector (2006-07 to 2020-21), Channi said he was ordering the vigilance department to fix responsibility on those involved in derailing the state’s economy by looting the state exchequer for their vested interests. “These PPAs hit the power sector and resulted in high cost of power in the state. Such was the process adopted for these PPAs that in some cases, rates were negotiated thrice without tenders,” said Channi, reiterating his government’s commitment to nail dishonest leaders of the SAD-BJP government, who amassed ill-gotten wealth through mafias of sand, transport and drugs.

Welcoming Channi’s announcement, leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema demanded that the vigilance probe needed to be time-bound. Channi, however, chose not to respond.

On sacrilege cases, Channi said investigations would be brought to a logical conclusion, so that perpetrators of such heinous crime were given exemplary punishment. Channi adds big sharks involved in drug mafia would not be spared.

The CM added he was quite hopeful that sealed reports on drugs menace would be opened on November 18 with the intervention of Punjab and Haryana high court.

Training his guns at Majithia, the CM said the Akali leader was trying to intentionally disturb the special session, since its start just to find an excuse to be ousted from the House. “Majithia and his party men didn’t have courage to face the criticism against Akali Dal’s misdeeds of rampant corruption and nepotism during its misrule of over 10 years,” he claimed.

Lambasting the AAP for ridiculing the state government for taking pro-people decisions, Channi added that he was from a humble background and was an Aam Aadmi (common man) in the real sense. “I am well-versed with a common man’s concerns and hardships and am working to make life easier for them,” he said.