Will march to FM office over thermal plant deal, says AAP

Tribune News Service
Bathinda, October 16

Aam Aadmi Party leaders Baljinder Kaur and Rupinder Kaur Ruby on Friday alleged that the state government had doled out the thermal plant land, worth crores of rupees, to some patronised corporate houses for peanuts. Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal was involved in the dubious deal, they said.

They said the party would stage a protest march on Saturday at 11 am against the open 'loot' of the land by certain corporate houses, in collusion with their political masters. The march would start from the Fire Brigade chowk and members will walk to the office of Finance Minister, and escalate pressure on the Chief Minister to roll back the government's decision of selling the land.

The AAP leaders said, "The government is openly giving away the land to corporate houses in the name of developing a drug park there. The land is being leased out to them for 33 years at Re 1, which might be extended up to 99 years. The corporate houses will also be provided power at Rs 2 per unit and water at Re 1 per litre."

The AAP legislators blamed the Finance Minister and questioned, "How the thermal plant land was transferred in the name of PUDA without the statutory approval of the BOD, and in the absence of any agreement?"

"The total cost of the project is Rs 1,878 crore, of which the Central Government is contributing Rs 1,000 crore and Rs 878 crore is being given by the state. The government should restart the thermal plant immediately instead of selling it to private players," the MLAs said.

from The Tribune https://ift.tt/35ly9Cj