Exempted from paying electricity bills by the previous SAD-BJP Government, the gaushalas (cow shelters) in Punjab are facing power pangs. In all, Punjab has 472 cow shelters.
While half of them have received electricity bills, several others are facing disconnection of their power supply. This, despite the fact, that the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had announced free power to all cow shelters in May last year.
Under the arrangement, the government has to bear the cost amounting Rs 4.57 lakh, which has to be paid in four installments to the state power utility — Punjab State Power Corporation limited (PSPCl), known as Powercom.
As the Powercom has failed to get the fourth and final installment after the change of guard in the state, it has started sending power bills to the cow shelters.
Now, the State Cow Welfare Commission and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have urged the Congress government, especially urging Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to interfere, to continue providing free power to all cow shelters and restore supply to those whose connections were cut.
“For the protection and security of cows, I request the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government to restore free power to cow shelters. Singh's father and forefathers had not only given land but money also for the cows,” said the Commission chairman and BJP leader Kimti lal Bhagat.
He claimed that the previous SAD-BJP government had provided free power to 472 cow shelters in the state, and now bills were sent to about half of them and power connections of five gaushalas have been cut.
However, the state Power Minister Rana Gurjit Singh, who is currently on Mumbai visit with the Chief Minister, said that he can't say anything as he has no information about the issue.
“I have no information. let me enquire on this, only then I could say something,” he said. In a year, total power bill of 472 cow shelters is Rs 4.57 crore. The previous Government had made provision in the budget to give the said amount to electricity department in four installments, Bhagat said adding that after the payments for three quarters were made, Model Code of Conduct came into force and then the new Government took the reins and cow shelters started getting power bills.
He claimed that power connections have been cut in few cow shelters, including one in Ferozepur and two each in Moga and Bhatinda.
“I have asked the managements of all the gaushalas not to pay the bills as it is a procedural lapse on the part of the government,” he said.
At the same time, he cautioned the Government of severe consequences as the “gau-rakshaks” may come face-to-face in case the power supply is not resumed.
“In Punjab’s gaushalas, there are about 2.80 lakh cows, while about 1.06 lakh are on streets, out of which nearly 18,000 have been sent to shelters,” he said.
Showering all praises on the previous SAD-BJP regime for spending a lot on gaushalas, he demanded a probe into the utilization of funds meant for setting up cow shelters in each district.
“The previous Government had given Rs one crore to set up gaushala in each district which, in many districts, were not utilized properly…it should be probed,” lal told The Pioneer.