Congress corners govt on power sector functioning
Tuesday, 22/03/2016
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CHANDIGARH: The Congress on Monday cornered the SAD-BJP government in the Vidhan Sabha on the functioning of the state’s power sector. After a long time, the opposition and treasury benches were seen having a meaningful debate.
The opposition tried to stage a comeback on Monday, especially after they took a beating on Friday following Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Charanjit Singh Channi’s “patchwork on roads” remark. The Congress initiated a debate on the power sector during the discussion on demands for grants related to the budget for the financial year 2016-17.
The opposition tried to put up a brave face with their MLAs touching a variety of issues of the power sector to counter the government. Out of 42 party MLAs, 38 were present in the house. The leaders raised the issues of the power surplus claim of the government, paying huge fixed charges cost to the privately run thermal plants of Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura, giving huge subsidy to run agriculture tubewells, non-operational state-run thermal plants and inflation of asset evaluation of the erstwhile state power board at the time of unbundling and bifurcation in 2010.
Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, who also holds the charge of the power department, countered this saying the power sector had developed to such an extent that it could not develop so for a long time to come.
“The government is paying an annual subsidy of ` 5,500 crore for free power to the agriculture sector while other consumer sections are being charged exorbitantly,” said Congress MLA Ashwini Sekhri, initiating the debate on the power sector.
Reacting to it, Sukhbir said that in comparison, Haryana, which had 8-lakh tubewells and was giving subsidy to farm sector of ` 8,000 crore, whereas Punjab paid subsidy for 12 lakh tubewells.
Congress MLA Sunil Jakhar said discussing the power sector was like stirring a hornet’s nest. “We demand an independent inquiry as to how the government allotted power plants to private players by MoU rates,” Jakhar said, to which the deputy CM said the thermal plants were allotted by calling tenders. He sought separate discussion on the power sector.
