The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Wednesday condemned the Congress-led Punjab government for repeated power hikes and said its latest proposal to hike power tariff by another eight per cent would result in “untold sufferings” to the common man as well as trade and industry which was reeling from the adverse effects of the Covid -19 pandemic.

Demanding the government to roll back its decision immediately, former minister Sikander Singh Maluka said the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited’s (PSPCL) requisition for an eight per cent hike in power tariff for the 2021-22 fiscal amounted to transferring its own inefficiencies to the consumers.

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“We condemn this anti – people step. The government should provide much needed relief to the common man as well as trade and industry instead of seeking hefty power hikes,” he added.

He said that the Congress government had already increased power tariff by more than 30 per cent since coming to power in Punjab and the latest proposed hike would make power rates in the State among the most costliest in the country.

Asking the Congress government not to penalise the people for its failure to run the PSPCL on professionally; Maluka said the PSPCL had run up a revenue loss of Rs 8363 crores during the last three years.

“We demand the Congress government should release a white paper on the entire issue. The PSPCL has lost money due to the Rs 4,300 Crore power scam besides failure to strike out against corruption and even mismanagement in power purchases,” the former minister said..

Maluka said the recent hikes had made Punjab a most unfavorable destination for investment.

He said simultaneously the Scheduled Caste population, which was given partial free power by Parkash Singh Badal, had been worst hit with the Congress government changing norms to virtually do away with this facility. He said due to this the SC population was being served highly inflated bills which they were unable to deposit. The SAD leader said the industry had also been tricked in a similar manner.

“First the industrial sector was promised power at a landing cost of Rs Five per unit but was charged between Rs Eight to Rs 8.50 per unit. Now during lockdown the industry was told that fixed charges applicable during closure of units would be waived off. This is yet to take place. The SAD demands both promises be implemented immediately to make an economic revival possible in the state,” he said.