Punjab govt betrayed aam aadmi by cancelling power subsidy: Akali Dal

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today condemned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for cancelling the power subsidy which provided discounted rates to households with loads of up to seven kilowatts.

It also condemned the Punjab Cabinet for increasing value-added tax (VAT) on both petrol and diesel, adding the ordinary resident had been delivered a double whammy by a government that was supposed to safeguard their interests.

In a statement issued here, senior SAD leader Maheshinder Singh Grewal said the Punjab Cabinet today ended a power subsidy which gave a concession of Rs 3 per unit to all consumers who had a load of up to 7 kW. He said such consumers were charged Rs 5 per unit instead of the earlier rate of Rs 8 per unit”. Alleging that the AAP government had betrayed the aam aadmi, Grewal added, “This move will result in a severe hike in consumption charges for residential power for the majority of consumers in the state”.

The SAD leader said the AAP had also gone back on its word to reduce VAT on both petrol and diesel by half. “Instead, the government has increased VAT on petrol and diesel by 61 paise and 91 paise, respectively,” Grewal said, adding this would not only push the prices of essential commodities but would also have a detrimental effect on the agriculture sector.

Grewal demanded both ‘anti-people’ measures be withdrawn immediately

Besides, the Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) has also expressed concern over the decision saying that it would affect the industry’s competitiveness. “Punjab is far from sea ports and it is very tough to export goods. We have to compete with Rajasthan, Himachal where power costs are low,” a CICU office-bearer said.