Rajpura thermal project foundation only a political gimmick, says Punjab Cong MLA

CHANDIGARH: Sukhpal Singh Khaira Congress MLA from Bholath on Tuesday said that the pomp and show organised by the SAD-BJP government lay the foundation stone of Thermal Plant at Rajpura is nothing but a political gimmick aimed to divert public attention from failure on all fronts.



He described Thermal Project a bash that saw waste of crores of public exchequer money to mislead people on yet another misadventure of Sukhbir Badal.

Khaira said that SAD-BJP in their election manifesto had promised to make Punjab power surplus within three years i.e. February 2010, Congress party questions Sukhbir Badal whether a single MW of power has been generated in these three years? Is it not cheating the electorate by making false promises in your manifesto, which you have not fulfilled? Now again we are reading full page advertisements in all papers of making Punjab power surplus, by when it is anybody’s guess.

To refresh public memory, he said, a similar farce of foundation stone was enacted by the govt. in 2008 at Talwandi Sabo of 2000 MW Thermal Plant, not a single brick has been added other than the foundation stone. Lacs of people were collected by misusing official machinery of the state merely to promote the Badal family and satisfy their ego, nothing else has transpired at Talwandi Sabo during the last two years, nor will anything happen in Rajpura.

Khaira said that the fact of the matter is that thermal power is not much viable anymore keeping in view erratic and high cost of coal transport from far off coal mines, secondly India is now connected all over through National Power Transmission Corporation, therefore if at all we have to set up thermal plants it is advisable to set up at pit heads or where the coal mines are in states like Jharkhand, Chattisgarh etc. It is cheaper to transport electricity than to transport coal.

If the Akali’s were really serious about making Punjab power surplus why did they oppose the Nuclear Treaty with USA in the parliament led by Dr. Manmohan Singh? Is this not political dichotomy? We all know that nuclear power is cheaper and cleaner source of energy compared to thermal power.

Khaira said that it is also saddening to note that farmers whose 600 acres of land has been acquired for the Rajpura Thermal Plant at V. Nalash have not been compensated and are protesting at the site of the foundation stone. Further the govt. has virtually damaged the cement flooring of the grain market at Rajpura to put up this govt. sponsored show.