Union Food Processing Industry Minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Monday said that after reneging on his promise to farmers, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh was backtracking on creating employment and even taking away State employment by refusing to consider the genuine demand to reopen the Bathinda thermal plant.
“Instead of fulfilling his Ghar Ghar Naukari scheme, the Chief Minister has taken away the livelihood of thousands of people of Bathinda by shutting down the Bathinda thermal plant...Instead of understanding the plight of thousands of workers and their families as well as other people from all walks of life who are associated with the thermal plant, he is following a dictatorial attitude by stating that the decision will not be reversed,” said Harsimrat.
She said that Bathinda thermal plant is a full-fledged township with its own residential colony, market and school. “The Government is uprooting all these people living in the township and sending them to far off places without making any provision for a rehabilitation package for them. This is an injustice which will not be tolerated,” she said.
Speaking about long term projections, she said that the State was likely to be power deficit by 2022 considering availability of all four units of the Bathinda plant as well as generation of an additional 5775 MW power which may not come about. “loss of 460 MW of power from the Bathinda plant will worsen this deficit,” she added.