Patiala, September 14
Thousands of Congress workers, led by the Punjab Congress president Aamrinder Singh Raja Warring, today staged a massive protest against the Aam Aadmi Party government for the power crisis facing the state.
A heavy police contingent prevented the Congress workers from reaching the PSPCL office. The police had created heavy barricades on the route.
Speaking on the occasion, Warring said, the power crisis facing the state was man-made and it was because of the massive corruption and complete mismanagement by the AAP government.
He pointed out, the outgoing Chairman Basant Garg, was appointed despite not being a technocrat, which is the basic condition. He disclosed that the AAP government changed the rule to accommodate him, apparently at the behest of the Delhi bosses, for reasons not unknown to anyone.
He said Garg had been given multiple positions and the reason was that he attended the office for just 20 out of the 300 days he remained the Chairman.
Similarly, the PCC president added, the AAP appointed an ineligible person as the Director Generation in the PSPCL after unceremoniously removing the incumbent Director Harjit Singh, who refused the AAP diktats. He said, not only was Singh removed, but was hounded by the Vigilance Bureau.
He disclosed that Singh was removed as the then Power Minister Sanjeev Arora wanted to accommodate one of his favourites from Ludhiana, who was not even eligible for the post, as he had helped him in many ways. He said Arora ended up in jail but not before putting the PSPCL into complete mess leading to the current power crisis in the state.
Warring said, with incompetent and corrupt people at the helm the PSPLC could not even visualize the power demand. He said, there was already a forecast of poor monsoon and still the PSPCL did not make any arrangements for the agriculture sector.
He said it was wrong to attribute the power crisis to the coal shortage. He said, Punjab has its own coal mine and there was no dearth of coal. He said, due to the strike by the employees, which was again because of the AAP’s broken promises, the power generation in both Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar plants came down substantially.
Referring to the massive corruption in the PSPCL, he disclosed that the power that the PSPCL used to purchase for Rs 5 per unit, till a few years ago, was now being purchased for Rs 8.10 per unit. He alleged that special brokers from Delhi were appointed to strike the deal and power was not being directly purchased, but was being purchased through brokers.
Warring also referred to the curious case of missing Rs 7,000 crores from the Rs 22,000 crore power subsidy that the government had to pay to the PSPCL for agriculture sector and free power. Where did that Rs 7000 crore vanish, he asked.
He also referred to the Punjab government paying brokerage for getting loans. He said, first it paid Rs 150 crore brokerage for getting Rs 10,000 crore loan and later paid Rs 340 crores more for getting another Rs 25,000 crore loan. He said, in the latter case the broker was from Gujarat and alleged that the brokerage money will be used for the election there.
He said, Bhagwant Mann had proved to be the worst ever Chief Minister who had taken Punjab back by 25 years. He said, he has destroyed Punjab in every way.
Warring also announced that tomorrow, under the leadership of the newly appointed General Secretary in charge Sachin Pilot, the Congress will stage a massive protest in Chandigarh to seek removal of Harpal Cheema. He said, it was important that Gulzar Singh, a Dalit, who was forced to commit suicide by Cheema’s henchmen, gets justice.