CHANDIGARH: Building pressure on the state government to scrap power purchase agreements (PPAs) to provide cheaper power to consumers in the state, Punjab Congress president Navjot Sidhu on Monday said the one-day special session of Punjab assembly should be extended to five-seven days to enable bringing a legislation to terminate the PPAs.
He said just as the assembly had passed the Punjab Termination of Agreements Act in 2004 on river water sharing with Haryana, the assembly should pass the legislation on PPAs.
In a video posted on his social media, Sidhu said, “As a result of cancellation of PPAs, the dream of providing power to domestic users at Rs 3 per unit and Rs 5 per unit to commercial connections will be realised. This is apart from the free 200 units to SC, BPL and freedom fighters. There is also a need for a grievances redressal system to take care of complaints of exorbitant outstanding power bills of poor households with two bulbs and one fan. All such bills should be waived to lighten their burden by keeping aside Rs 1,200 crore-Rs 1,500 crore.”
Sidhu said the issue of faulty PPAs figured in the 18-point agenda of the high command and the five points raised by the coordination committee with the CM.
The PPCC chief tweeted: “Punjab government must immediately issue directions to PSERC in public Interest to revise tariffs being paid to private power plants, making the faulty PPAs null and void, and call a 5- or 7-day vidhan sabha session to bring a new legislation for termination of faulty PPAs.”
He said a single-day session was not sufficient to raise issues connected to people of the state and the session needed to be extended. “Just like the law for termination of water agreements was passed, a similar law should be brought in for termination of these PPAs, so people get power at cheap rates. Punjab is already a leading light in giving power subsidies,” he said.
The Congress government has convened a day-long special session on September 3 to commemorate the 400th Parkash Purb of Guru Tegh Bahadur. At present, there is no other legislation listed for the session.
