Strongly opposing the proposed 12 per cent power tariff hike, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Partap Singh Bajwa on Thursday said that the party would organise mass mobilisation on the issue.
“This would be last straw on the back of people in general and industry in particular. What is all the more surprising is the fact that the move has been initiated at the time when the PSPCl had been in profits during last two years. People would not tolerate this additional burden. Congress would launch agitation against the Parkash Singh Badal Government on the issue,” declared Bajwa.
He said that on the industrial front, situation was dismal as evident from Assocham study despite tall claims being made by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who had some months back organised mega investment summit to showcase Punjab.
“While new investments have stopped coming to Punjab, projects already in pipeline have suffered a cost overrun of about 47 per cent to Rs57,000 crore. About 70 per cent of the new projects had remained non-starter in 2013-14,” he pointed.
He said already, various organisations were up in arms against the Government. Punjab had been subjected to capital flight due to concessions granted by the NDA Government to the neighbouring States in which Sukhbir was the Minister of State for Industries. “Punjab could not afford any downslide as lakhs of Punjabi youth are already unemployed and there is no creation of new employment avenues. The situation is having serious social fall out,” he said, while calling upon the Government to reject the power hike proposed by PSPCl as it would have disastrous effects on the State’s economy.