State to be power surplus by 2013-14: Badal

As the Zero Hour began,the Congress,led by Leader of Opposition Sunil Jakhar,started to corner the government over the state reeling under severe power cuts. “I want to raise a very important problem,due to which,the people of the state are in tears,’’ Jakhar said.

While claiming that in 2007,the SAD-BJP combine’s manifesto had promised a power-surplus state in three years,Jakhar said: “Years have passed and their promise has turned out to be hollow. Now,they are coming up with excuses that the northern grid is biased against the state,as it allows Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to withdraw more power. They are indulging in a blame game.”

“Lack of maintenance and repair of the sub-stations and other power utilities has led to a loss of 250 MW. The Chinese equipment and boilers which were installed had leaked and they had to be returned and also many 100 MW transformers are out of order. Also,the government has put charge on the open access policy,which was started so that the industry could purchase power from outside. The industry was getting 500 MW of power from this,” Jakhar said.

He also went on to demand the whereabouts of the Rs 800 crore that the Centre had given to the state to be distributed among farmers.

Following this,the chief minister told the Assembly that the state will be power surplus by 2013-14. “During Captain Amarinder Singh’s government,not a single watt of electricity was produced. We have to clear the backlog. We have started the process of commissioning three thermal power stations and by 2013-14,they will be commissioned. At times,there are certain delays due to land acquisition or some other problems.’’

In response,Amarinder said: “In my tenure,the Rs 1,700-crore Lehra Mohabat plant (II) was commissioned and we bought electricity for farmers and provided them power for a minimum of eight hours.’’

Badal then went on to say,“In 2007,when we came to power,the power generated was 7250 MW and the state needed 9,500 MW — a shortfall of 2,250 MW. The thermal power plants are in various stages of commissioning and by 2013-14,we will generate another 2,920 MW. Every year,the state government buys additional 10 per cent power,but this year,the demand was 18 per cent extra and therefore,the shortfall. While this year,we spent Rs 1,645 crore to buy power,last year,we had spent Rs 1,038 core.”

FM should explain how Punjab will meet Budget expenses: Cong

Former finance minister and Congress MLA Laal Singh on Monday slammed the state government by saying that “Punjab has reached a limit on debt and cannot take any more”.

“The revenue expenditure is Rs 41,166 crore while the revenue receipts,with optimistic projections,is only Rs 38,043 crore. You have brought your poll promises down from laptops to tablets,from employment allowance for all youth to just those listed for three years at employment exchanges. But my question to Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa is how will Punjab meet the budget expenses,” former finance minister and Congress MLA Laal Singh said while opening the Budget debate at the Assembly.

Drawing a parallel with neighbouring Haryana,he said that though smaller in size,the state far exceeds Punjab on tax collections,annual plan and growth rate. Singh once again raised the issue of bungling in the state’s populist atta-dal scheme,saying the government was making a profit out of central allocations before redistributing it to the beneficiaries. The remark prompted Food and Supplies Minister Adaish Pratap Singh Kairon to demand evidence from Singh,to which the latter said a house committee should be asked to go into the issue.

From the treasury benches,SAD spokesperson Daljit Cheema initiated the debate lauding Dhindsa for presenting a development-oriented budget and delivering poll promises while bringing the revenue and fiscal deficits within the roadmap prescribed by the 13th Finance Commission.

Cheema went on to present comparative estimates on outlays during the five-year tenure of Akali-BJP government and Congress under various heads from crop husbandry,rural and urban development to water supply and sports and youth services. He also demanded that small and marginal farmers should also be included in the MNREGA scheme to cover wages for labour on their own farms. From the BJP side,former minister Manoranjan Kalia lauded the budget as development and welfare oriented. Leader of Opposition Sunil Jakhar will lead the Congress charge on the Budget debate on Tuesday.

More personal barbs than figures

The Budget debate witnessed exchange of unsavoury remarks between ruling and Opposition benches. When Congress MLA Laal Singh was comparing Punjab and Haryana,Revenue Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia intervened to say: “I used to wonder why you were changed as finance minister by the Congress. You think more about Haryana than Punjab.” To this,Singh said: “It is not an easy portfolio to handle. I left owing to blood pressure problems.” BJP MLA Manoranjan Kalia couldn’t help taking a dig and said,“If ministers run away from shouldering responsibilities,one can imagine the fate of the state.” Laal Singh was quick to retort,“I ran away but you were thrown out by the party.”

Tablets vs laptops

While Laal Singh of the Congress ridiculed the government for promising laptops and delivering tablets,SAD spokesperson Daljit Cheema said small is in. “Chidren nowadays like light things. They want a ipad not bulky laptops. The new generation is very tech savvy and we have given tablets on the basis of their utility,” he said.

Cong seeks details of Centre aid

CHANDIGARH: During Question Hour,the Congress asked Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa on the amount of grants received by the state from the Centre under various schemes during the last five years and details of diversion of funds of these schemes for other purposes. In his reply,Dhindsa stated that no funds were mismanaged,diverted or misappropriated by the state government. “The Centre did not send the required money asked by the Punjab government. A sum of Rs 1,350 crore was not released by the Centre. The money released for central schemes had been sent to the concerned departments. The government has released Rs 800 crore and no bill is pending in the state’s treasury,” he said.Brahm Mohindra of the Congress,however,alleged that that the government had mismanaged central grants worth Rs 2,000 crore.

On Capt’s first appearance this session,CM takes potshots

As state Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh made his first appearance in the ongoing budget session on Monday,Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal used the opportunity to take pot shots at his predecessor. “I welcome Amarinder with folded hands. I was desperate to see him,” Badal said after noticing the presence of the former chief minister for the first time in the on-going budget session.

“It was due to Amarinder I became chief minister again and for that I will place his photograph in my drawing room,” he remarked in a lighter vein. Asking the treasury benches not to interrupt him during zero hour,when the Congress raised the power issue,the chief minister further said: “ I am not sure whether Amarinder will come to the Assembly again”.

At the end of Badal’s digs on Amarinder’s presence in the House,SAD MLA Sohan Singh Thandal joined in and referred to reports in the media on alleged meter tampering in Amarinder’s New Moti Bagh Palace at Patiala.

“How can one expect to bail out farmers from power crisis,when stories are appearing in the media about meter tampering at Amarinder’s residence,” Thandal said.

An infuriated Amarinder accused the chief minister of trying to humiliate him by sending teams from the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited to inspect the palace.

“Badal can stoop low to humiliate me out of political rivalry,” he said.

The state Congress chief categorically claimed that he had specific information that this was all being done at the chief minister’s behest. “ Badal will soon be exposed once the entire truth is out,” he remarked.