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Manpreet Badal in the dumps as govt goes subsidy route on power
WSN Network

CHANDIGARH: Just a day before the Shimla conclave of the Akali Dal, Manpreet Singh Badal, the finance minister of Punjab and a nephew of CM Prakash Singh Badal, had snubbed the dominant streak in the party by opposing the subsidies being given to farmers and had tried to hijack the agenda of the so-called Vichar sammelan. The party in return snubbed him by even refusing to take notice of Manpreet's statements and then gagging him in Shimla, asking him to keep his mouth shut.

This week, it snubbed the Finance Minister further. After the power rates in Punjab were hiked by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission last week, the Akali Dal government had come under sharp attack from the BJP for taxing its urban constituency while subsidising the farmers. Since Prakash Singh Badal does not want to annoy the BJP at any cost and wants to keep it in good humor at least till the power transition happens fully and Sukhbir is installed as CM, the government on Sunday disregarded the state of finances and succumbed to the mounting pressure by alliance partner BJP.

It has decided to seek deferment of the power tariff hike but pending that it will subsidise the hikes rates. The decision came after prolonged deliberations of the SAD-BJP co-ordination committee chaired by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Since the PSERC orders are binding, the government has decided to first approach the Commission to allow it to subside the enhanced tariff  portion of the bills. Therefore, the consumers will have to bear the burden of the new power tariff hike till the PSERC allows the government to subsidies the enhanced portion. Once PSERC allows the government to subsidies the hike the consumers would get reimbursement of the enhanced amount, it was decided

The State government would have to bear Rs. 1,296 crore as additional burden of the power subsidy.

It right now pays Rs 3,1412 crore for supply of free power. Hence the total power subsidy bill will reach Rs 4,438 crore.

A decision was also taken to set up a two-member committee comprising Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Minister for local Bodies Manoranjan Kalia to go into the entire gamut of resource mobilization and fiscal discipline in the state. The Committee would submit its report within a month.

23 September 2009
 

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