Waiver on power bills: half the battle won, fight to scrapping contracts with companies continues

Chandigarh, March 7: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had been on its toes ever since the small-time consumers in the state started getting hefty electricity bills for their nominal monthly consumption at their two/three room houses using a maximum of two or three bulbs and almost equal number of fans installed. Their series of visits to the departmental official brought them no relief as they were told to pay.

Seized of the matter, the party kick started a massive campaign against the inflated bills at the state level under the leadership of Punjab unit chief of the party and Sangrur Member of Parliament (MP) Bhagwant Mann. The issue was also raised by the party MLAs in recently-concluded Budget session of Vidhan Sabha. With a view to extending a helping hand to the hassled people, AAP volunteers reached out to every single affected consumer across the state and listened to their grievances.

Punjab Vidhan Sabha

They took them to the department concerned for redressal on the spot. He said the government was brought on its knees and allow a waiver worth more than lakh on the bills. Addressing the media after state core committee meeting at Chandigarh Mann said that while half the battle had been won by bagging a big relief to the distressed consumers by securing waiver to them on their bills, by broaching the issue with the authorities concerned for redressal, the next big step would be to scrap the agreement.

He said while half the battle had been won, concerted efforts were on to get scrapped the long-term agreement inked between the SAD-BJP government of the time, stating those were anti-people and anti-Punjab. Elaborating on the agreements, he said the state dispensation had been under obligation to pay a whopping sum of Rs 2800 crore per annum to the private companies even if they generated not  even a single unit of power.

These long-term agreements were eating out the vitals of the cash-strapped state, he said. Making the party’s standpoint on the issue of concern categorically clear, he said it was continue its concerted fight to scrap the agreements till the end. He said those behind these agreements involving a major scam would be brought to book.