Shiromani Akali Dal leader Sukhbir Singh Badal on Sunday said the erstwhile SAD-BJP government had made Punjab a power surplus State but Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had pushed it back into darkness.
His remarks came a day after Capt. Amarinder said his government would soon announce a legal strategy to counter the “ill-conceived” power purchase agreements signed during the SAD-BJP rule which had put an “atrociously unnecessary” financial burden on the State.
The Chief Minister said of the 139 power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed during the SAD-BJP rule, 17 were enough to cater to the State's full electricity demand. The remaining 122 PPAs for 1,314 MWs of expensive power were inexplicably signed.
Punjab has been reeling under an unprecedented power shortage with urban and rural areas facing long hours of load shedding amid scorching heat.
The Congress-led government has been under fire from the opposition for not being able to provide sufficient electricity to consumers, especially to paddy growers for sowing their crop.
