'Act in right direction': Navjot Singh Sidhu asks Punjab govt to take measures to tackle power crisis

Chandigarh: As Punjab reels under an unprecedented power shortage amid dry spells, ruling Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday said the power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed during the former SAD-BJP government went against the state’s public interest while urging a law be brought in now to nullify them. In a series of tweets on the power issue, Sidhu said there was no need for power cuts in Punjab or for the chief minister to regulate the office timings if the state acts in the right direction.

Truth of Power Costs, Cuts, Power Purchase Agreements & How to give Free & 24 hour Power to the People of Punjab:- 1. There is No need for Power-Cuts in Punjab or for the Chief Minister to regulate office timings or AC use of the Common People ... If we Act in the right direction

— Navjot Singh Sidhu (@sherryontopp) July 2, 2021

Notably, Punjab’s main opposition party AAP had on Monday also alleged that “faulty” PPAs signed during the tenure of the previous SAD-BJP government were adversely affecting the state’s power utility. AAP state unit chief and Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann had claimed that the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has so far paid Rs 20,000 crore as fixed charges to three private thermal plants set up during the tenure of the previous government. Of this, almost Rs 5,700 crore had been paid without getting any power supply, he said.