Condemning the Congress Government for forcing the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to seek an eight to 14 percent hike in power tariff for 2019-20, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday demanded immediate withdrawal of the “anti-people step”.
SAD president Sukhbir Badal said that the Congress Government had failed to provide required subsidy to PSPCL despite increasing power tariff by nearly 15 to 20 percent in the past two years. “Affecting a further eight to 14 percent increase across all categories amounts to cruelty against the common man and is an inhuman step,” he said.
Asking the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to ask PSPCL to withdraw annual revenue requirement (ARR) submitted to the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) demanding hike, Sukhbir said that an inquiry should also be ordered as to why the Government had failed to deposit the required subsidy to PSPCL.
“This proposed increase as well as earlier tariff increases are against your own promise made as Pradesh Congress president before 2017 assembly elections that you will decrease power tariffs once you come to power,” he pointed.
Asking Capt Amarinder to bring all facts before the people, Sukhbir said that Finance Minister Manpreet Badal should also be asked to explain why he is unable to manage the state finances and why the common man should be made to suffer for his failings.
“If the Finance Minister is unable to take necessary steps to ensure the ARR is taken back and the burden put on the common man is withdrawn, he should be sacked summarily”, he said.
Stating that such arbitrary increases which defied logic had put an unbearable burden on the common man, Sukhbir said that SAD would go to the people and force the Congress Government to take back this anti-people decision.
SAD ACCUSES CONG OF ABANDONING SC WELFARE SCHEMES
SAD SC wing on Wednesday demanded that the loan of the landless farmers, taken to meet their agricultural requirements, should be waived on top priority if the Congress Government is keen to ensure a debtless progressive rural society.
The demand was made during the SAD’s schedule caste (SC) wing’s meeting, chaired by its president and former minister Gulzar Singh Ranike.
The meeting urged up on the Punjab Government to implement the policy of reservation in the government-aided colleges and schools with immediate effect as per the norms laid by the government.
In run up to parliamentary elections, SC wing has decided to hold constituency-wise meetings from January 15 onwards to mobiles mass support for the party.
Lambasting Punjab government for withdrawing or slowing down various welfare schemes for the SCs, it was noted with concern that the gross apathy is playing havoc with the present and future of the downtrodden community.
“Non-release of post-matric scholarship have ruined precious academic year of lakhs of students, but the government remained unconcerned. The promise of providing cycles and uniform for school going children remained unfulfilled. The ongoing Shagun scheme has suddenly come to a halt though the Congress had promised to enhance its amount to double. Similarly, the free power up to 200 units too have been withdrawn, increasing the miseries of the poor dalits,” he said.