Strongly opposing the Punjab Government’s decision to appoint political persons as chairpersons of Electricity Dispute Settlement Committees, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday alleged that the ruling SAD-BJP is “misusing” its powers “to infiltrate the Punjab State Power Corporation limited with party workers and interfere in its internal working.
“The decision of the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) is illegal and against the provisions of the Electricity Act of 2003 and the PSERC (Forum and Ombudsman) Regulations of 2005,” alleged AAP’s senior leader Chander Suta Dogra.
“Acting in accordance with a well thought out plan, the ruling party will use these 125 appointees for political purposes ahead of the Assembly elections, because they will decide disputes according to consumers’ political affiliation and not in public interest,” she said.
Instead of watching consumers’ interest of the consumer, these committees will now watch the interest of the Akali Dal- BJP combine ahead of the assembly elections, she added.
Overruling its previous decision of September 2015, where a similar proposal of the Government was struck down, the PSERC approved appointing two members from the public for circle and divisional settlement committees, she said.
Instead of PSPCl engineers, now the chairpersons of these committees will be from two members from general public who will be appointed by the Deputy Commissioners.
She added that PSERC has not provided any check or safeguard against misuse of authority, nepotism or favoritism in appointment of these persons or their functioning for extraneous
considerations.
Dogra maintained that new system of functioning of DSCs will “further aggravate the problems of consumers and make them travel long distances to Patiala, for resolution of their disputes instead of having these resolved at doorstep”.