Despite the announcement by Chief Minister Capt Amarinder
Singh to bring out a white paper on the
power purchase agreements signed with private thermal power plants by the
Parkash Singh Badal headed Akali Dal-BJP government, the Congress leaders led
by state party chief continue to raise the heat that directly impacts the
people in Punjab.
Sunil Jakhar is now in aggressive mode building up pressure
on Capt Amarinder Singh to act. Jakhar as the state Congress chief has to face the
wrath of both his party leaders, both in and out of the government, and the
people.
The latest provocation is the way the Punjab Pollution
Control Board has come out in defense of these power plants in private sector
pleading with the centre to grant them another two years to install the
required pollution control equipment. Jakhar has said the failure of these plants to act on the
directive in stipulated time should have been used to shut down these plants
that have turned out to be big burden. The power rates in Punjab are amongst
the highest in the country due to these three thermal plants.
The basic issue is that the state government is committed to
purchase a fixed quantity of power at
the contracted rate from these plants even if there is no demand. The power
plants of the state power corporation have to be shut down to purchase power
from these plants. The agreement with these thermal plants is for a period of
25 years. It has been reported that in no othyer state such agreement has been
signed.
The Congress had promised to order probe into the PPAs after
coming into power but nothing has been done so far. Jakhar want Capt Amarinder
Singh to act, and act without delay. This government completes three years in
power this month.
Ironically, Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was
instrumental in the signing of these agreements, too is now aggressive speaking
on this very issue lambasting Capt
Amarinder Singh for repeated hikes in power rates.
Capt Amarinder Singh’s only announcement so far has been on
bringing out white paper during the monsoon session of the Assembly. That is
being considered to be too little and too late.
It may be mentioned that earlier, former state party chief
and now Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa too had accused Capt Amarinder Singh of inaction on
this controversial issue.
At the time when Capt Amarinder Singh was increasingly
coming under attack from within his own party, he confronted the Modi
government determinedly on the issue of CAA-NPR-NRC. The Punjab Assembly was
the first to pass resolution against CAA amongst the Congress ruled states. It
is the fight on this issue at the national level that matters to the Congress
leadership at the national level and not the PPAs. Capt Aamrinder Singh has
positioned himself strategically in this bigger fight.
What is important in this fight is that the Shaheen Bagh
movement that now symbolises this struggle is getting support from non-Akali
sections in Punjab. Groups of activists from various sections have been joining
the protest at Shaheen Bagh.
However, the issue of power relates to governance. The AAP
government has set the example of good governance in Delhi.
Punjab was the first state to introduce governance reforms during
the Akali regime but it is AAP that is set to harvest political gains by
successfully implementing the pro-people initiatives, including the reduction
in power bills.
The political current from the thermal plants is now turning
high voltage. It is to be seen if it would spur the Amarinder government into
action or not.
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