The Maharashtra’s ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance has called a day-long bandh today in solidarity with the farmers killed in Lakhimpur Kehri violence last Sunday. The state government has said that everything will be closed except for essential services. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said all the three parties of the ruling alliance will actively […]

Chandigarh Aug 30 PTI Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu on Monday sought the extension of the states special assembly session saying a day-long session cant solve peoples problems A day-long special assembly session has been summoned on September 3 for the commemoration of the 400th Parkash Purb of Guru Tegh Bahadur Amid the ongoing power tussle between the camps of Chief Minister Amarinder and Congress state unit chief Sidhu the cricketer-turned-politician on Monday took to Twitter demanding the governments directions to the power regulator to revise tariff to provide relief to consumers Sidhu who has been at loggerheads with the chief minister has been pressing for the state governments action on an 18-point programme of the Congress high command for the state The programme included action in the 2015 case involving the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib in Faridkot and subsequent police firing on the people protesting the sacrilege the arrest of big fish behind drug rackets and scrapping of power purchase agreements with various private firms The Punjab Govt must immediately issue directions to PSERC in Public Interest to revise tariff being paid to Private Power Plants making the faulty PPAs null void Further calling a 5-7 day Vidhan Sabha Session to bring a New Legislation for termination of faulty PPAs Sidhu said in a tweet This will help Punjab Govt give 300 units of free power to all domestic consumers including those of general category decrease the domestic tariff to Rs 3 per Unit Rs 5 per Unit for Industry along with redressal of all outstanding bills waiving-off the unjustifiable exorbitant bills he said in another tweet The Amritsar East legislator also uploaded his short video in which he was demanding that the faulty PPAs be scrapped on a priority basis In the public interest the Punjab government should give directions to PSERC Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission and issue a tariff order under which electricity be purchased at a fair and just price and PPAs signed at exorbitant prices be declared null and void said Sidhu It will lead to a benefit of Rs 50000 crore to the state and consumers will pay Rs 15 to 2 per unit less for power he said While praising the state government for convening the special session to commemorate 400th Parkash Purb of Guru Tegh Bahadur Sidhu however said Several issues related to improving the lives of people of Punjab will not be solved in a one-day session He said the session should be at least for five to seven days Sidhu said a law on scrapping the faulty PPAs be brought in the session He said the way a law was enacted to terminate the water-sharing agreements a Punjab Termination of PPAs Act to scrap faulty power purchase pacts should be enacted He also wanted the government to come out with a mechanism to waive unjustifiable arrears PTI CHS VSD RAX RAX