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Badals, Amarinder responsible for collapse of power sector in Punjab: Bir Devinder seeks probe into murky deals

Chandigarh, February 19, 2020 (Yes Punjab News)

Former Punjab Deputy Speaker and senior leader of SAD Taksali Bir Devinder Singh has urged Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to order a probe into all murky deals of Power Sector in the state.

In a strong-worded press release issued here today, Bir Devinder Singh said, the insatiable and the most corrupt and incompetent tangle; consisting of Politicians, Bureaucrats and top Engineers of the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd was seemingly responsible for the bankruptcy and collapse of the Power Sector in Punjab.

Holding top bureaucratic hierarchy of both the CMOs; led by Parkash Singh Badal and Capt. Amarinder Singh squarely responsible for the collapse of the power sector, Bir Devinder Singh said, Sukhbir Singh Badal as Deputy Chief Minister was the main handler as agent provocateur and clandestinely negotiates to strike almost all the deals of the power sector to purchase thermal power from the private companies at highly exorbitant rates.

“The role of the members of the SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) should also be put under scanner to know if they have also compromised the interests of the state at any stage,”

Attacking the incumbent t government and its legal team, Bir Devinder Singh said, “Why the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. has lost the case in the Supreme Court while winning before all the appellate authorities prior to the appeal in apex court; is a million dollar question?”

He reminded Chief Minister of having committed on record that he will table the White Paper in Punjab Legislative Assembly on the nitty-gritty of all the PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements) signed by the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd.; after the approval of the State Government.

Bir Devinder Singh wondered how Punjab Advocate General Mr. Atul Nanda could feign ignorance and abdicate responsibility for the State, losing the legal battle in the case of coal washing charges in the Supreme Court and thus imposing the liability of Rs 2,800 Crore on the Cash-strapped power corporation.

He said, the judgment was passed by the Supreme Court bench of Justice Rohington Fali Nariman and Justice Syrya Kant on August 7, taking up a contempt petition filed by L&T (Larsen & Toubro) against the Punjab Government and PSPCL.Bir Devinder Singh

Questioning the office of the AG Punjab, Bir Devinder said, “Can the Punjab Advocate General Mr. Atul Nanda just explain to the millions of innocent consumers of Punjab, that if there is a contempt petition against the State in the apex court; then what is the expected statutory role and obligation of the top heavy AG office in all probabilities?”

“How could AG Atul Nanda escape responsibility for the collateral financial penalties to the State and its people as result of the colossal failure of the AG, for not arguing the case in the court of Law; intelligently and efficiently?”, Bir Devinder asked.

The former Deputy Speaker observed that unfortunately the decision of the Supreme Court will essentially lead to higher power generation cost that will resultantly cause an exorbitantly higher power tariff which will approximately amount to Rs. 2,800 Crore having cascading effect on the poor consumers of the State.

“It is atrocious that the power consumers of Punjab are being made to pay the heavy price for the adulterated inefficiency and deliberate skullduggery of the IAS officers who failed to vet the PPA, properly with medical precision,” he said asking “Why did the Punjab bureaucrats and the then PSPCL management remained ostensibly silent on the pre-bid scrutiny of the PPA and why did they not thoroughly examine all the questions raised by the company with correlation to its ultimate collateral impact on the consumers of Punjab, for times to come?”

Bir Devinder Singh said if Amarinder Singh was above board he must come clean and order probe. He must immediately appoint a commission of enquiry; to probe all the murky deals of the Power Sector in Punjab since 1997 onward either headed by the sitting high court Judge or by the retired Supreme Court Judge to enquire in to all the PPAs signed by the State Government and also the reasons for switching over to Private Sector for thermal power, intentionally abandoning the hydroelectric power generation in the State in preference to thermal power.

“Let this commission be assigned the responsibility to prepare the transparent ‘White Paper’ also on the collapse of the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd and this could eventually be tabled before the State legislature,” he said.

Bir Devinder Singh said such a White Paper would be free of insalubrious manipulations and deceitful suppression of facts.

The former deputy speake has sought the support of all the Punjab MLAs, baring SAD led by Sukhbir Singh Badal to press for the demand, for the appointment of enquiry commission if they really wish to know how Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal has bartered away the interests of Punjab in pursuance of his own vested business interests.

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