Chandigarh: Congress MLAs from urban areas met PPCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday and suggested giving financial relief for urban voters by way of cheaper electricity at Rs 3 per unit, with 300 units free, besides a one-time settlement scheme for regularisation of plots.
In a three-hour meeting, they discussed financial losses and hardships faced by people in urban areas during the Covid-19 lockdown and low demand in markets. They raised issues of electricity supply, snapping of connections, outstanding bills, besides regularisation of buildings and plots with demand for a one time settlement for residential and commercial buildings, said a party spokesperson.
The meeting concluded with a consensus that the party and government must act towards a priority agenda to give relief to urban people. Foremost among them was demand for 300 units of free power to all domestic consumers including general category, 24-hour supply of power, decreasing rate of power to 3 Rs per unit for domestic consumer and 5 Rs per unit for commercial and industrial consumers. This is above and beyond the 10,000-crore power subsidy already provided by Punjab, unlike Delhi which provides only 1,700 crores as power subsidy. The MLAs demanded that the state government should immediately provide relief through one-time settlement in cases of regularisation of plots and building, extending the scheme for regularisation of colonies and easing burden of NOC for registration of property, asking the PCC president to raise it with the government at an appropriate form.
Cabinet ministers Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sunder Sham Arora were present. Health minister Balbir Singh too attended the meeting but left early as Sidhu was running late. PPCC working presidents Pawan Goyal and Kuljit Singh Nagra were present in the meeting and “formulated party’s strategy to solve the issues closest to the heart of people of urban Punjab.” Cabinet ministers Brahm Mohindra, Manpreet Singh Badal and O P Soni did not attend the meeting.
