Chandigarh, September 20 (Daily Kiran) : The Punjab Congress Committee President, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, has accused the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of causing a significant power crisis in the state. He cited the government’s incompetence, mismanagement, and corruption as the main reasons for the unprecedented power shortages.
During a live discussion at the seventh session of the “Warring with Warriors” program, Warring stated that the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has become a source of revenue for a “corrupt nexus” stretching from Delhi to Punjab. This situation has resulted in power cuts lasting between 12 to 18 hours for farmers, students, and industries.
Warring further alleged that the government appointed an inexperienced and non-technical bureaucrat as the chairman of PSPCL, who has only been present in the office for about 25 to 30 days over a span of nearly 300 days. He emphasized that such a position typically requires a technical expert with at least 25 years of experience.
The Congress leader claimed that the PSPCL operated without a Director of Generation for nearly six months. He accused the former director, Harjeet Singh, of being harassed through vigilance for refusing to comply with the government’s alleged illegal orders. The subsequent appointee was reportedly given leniency regarding eligibility criteria.
Warring criticized the government’s lack of foresight in planning for power purchases ahead of the summer season. He pointed out that while PSPCL previously bought electricity at rates of 4-5 rupees per unit, it is now purchasing from private traders at rates of 8.10 rupees per unit.
Additionally, he alleged that the government was supposed to provide a subsidy of 22,000 crores to PSPCL under various schemes but only allocated 15,000 crores. According to him, this has led to a 10,000 crore debt for PSPCL, which was incurred while paying a 150 crore commission to a private intermediary.
Responding to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s comments about a coal shortage, Warring stated that Punjab possesses its own captive coal mines. He argued that the crisis was not due to a lack of coal but rather a reduction in power generation caused by strikes by temporary staff at the Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar thermal plants.
He also mentioned that the UBDC hydro power project, which was damaged in last year’s floods, has yet to operate at full capacity, further impacting the state’s power generation capabilities.
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