Ludhiana: Industrialists held a protest against the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited’s (PSPCL) move on 45-day advance bill, at Janta Nagar division office on Friday. The protesters included prominent businessmen, heads and office-bearers of various business associations as well as small factory owners.
An effigy of Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann was also burnt during the protest. Protesters also shouting slogans against the government and PSPCL.
Addressing the gathering, Jaswinder Singh Thukral, president of Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers Association, said, “Everyone knows that Punjab government is cash strapped and with each passing day, the expenditure of the government is rising. So departments like PSPCL are trying to arrange funds by any means and businessmen are soft targets, they have been ordered to pay 45 days ACD despite already paying several types of securities. This arbitrary order of PSPCL is going to deal huge financial blow to the industry, specially the micro and small scale units who are already facing lots of other problems.”
Thukral also added, “Today’s protest was just the beginning and in case the decision to impose ACD charges is not taken back, we will not hesitate to hold the protests at every PSPCL office in the city and even in front of MLAs’ and ministers’ houses”
According to Gurmeet Singh Kular, president of Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organisations (FICO), “It is astonishing that despite knowing that businesses are not going on as smoothly as they were three years ago, PSPCL is asking us to pay 45 days advance bills. It is totally unjustified and businessmen will do what it takes to get this decision rolled back. We will take up this matter with the chairman cum managing director of PSPCL and even the power minister of the state and get a decision in the favour of the businessmen.”
