E-Paper
No scope for rethink on closure of Bathinda thermal plant: Manpreet Badal
Badal said the government is shifting the entire staff to the Lehra Mohabbut plant, 13km from the existing plant which is going to close on December 31.
Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Wednesday said there is no scope for a rethink on the last week’s cabinet decision to close the Bathinda thermal plant.
Manpreet said this on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting here. The staff of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the vendors attached with the plant are opposing the move.
“In the past four years, the plant was functional for an average 15 days in a year while incurring monthly expenditure of Rs 1,300 crore. The electricity from the plant costs Rs 11.5 per unit as compared to Rs 2.5 to 3 per unit. therefore, it is not wise to keep making huge expenditure,” he said.
He said the government is shifting the entire staff to the Lehra Mohabbut plant, 13km from the existing plant which is going to close on December 31.
‘PPAs WITH PRIVATE PLANTS TO BE REWORKED’
The minister said the power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed during the previous Akali-BJP government with the promoters of three privately owned thermal plants at Talwandi Sabo, Rajpura and Goindwal Sahib will to be reworked. The congress party, before the state polls in January month had promised to re-negotiate the PPAs.
‘DEBT WAIVER FROM JAN 7’
He said the government will give debt waiver certificates to 2.5 lakh farmers in Mansa on January 7. Mansa has been chosen for this as the district has recorded highest number of farmer suicides. Manpreet told the media that the state government is trying to go for a tripartite sharing of Rs 31,000 crore gap in cash credit limit (CCL) received by Punjab and foodgrain delivered to the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
“We are in talks with the banks’ consortium and the Centre so that they and the Punjab government could share the burden which was converted into debt by the Centre a day before the state polls results in March month,” he said.
‘Will bring out white paper on govt move’
The All India Power Engineers’ Federation (AIPEF) will bring out a white paper on the Punjab government’s decision to close down the Bathinda thermal plant and two units of the Rupnagar Thermal Plant.Talking to mediapersons here on Wednesday, AIPEF chief patron Padamjit Singh said it is a drastic decision which is totally against the guidelines of the Central Electricity Authority(CEA) as well as the Union ministry of power.
Padmajit said the AIPEF will expose the violations of central norms by the Punjab government and draw the attention of the Union power ministry towards such violations. Rupnagar thermal plant chief engineer Amritpal Singh and deputy chief engineers were present on the occasion.
