SAD, BJP protest against thermal plant shutdown

BATHINDA: Members of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), along with employees, protested against the state government’s decision to shutdown Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) by holding a dharna at the Fire Brigade Chowk in the city on Monday. All four units of the GNDTP and two units of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant in Ropar will be shutdown from January 1, 2018.

The protesters were carrying models of the chimneys of the thermal power plant. Former minister Sikander Singh Maluka, ex-MLAs Sarup Chand Singla, Darshan Singh Kotfatta and Bathinda mayor Balwant Rai Nath led the protest.

Vijay Kumar, a former councillor, had arranged the replicas of the chimney. Some protesters wore masks of Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and power and irrigation minister Rana Gurjit Singh.

“Instead of closing the plant, the state government should have worked to introduce new technology. This could have been done in phases, say one unit every year,” Maluka said.

“The state government claims that it will set up new industry in the state which means that the demand for power will increase. In that case, keeping the plant functional is even more important,” Maluka claimed.

When queried on ₹750 crore spent on the renovation of the plant during the SAD- BJP regime to extend the plant’s life Maluka said, “Unions know that the amount was spent.”

MARCH UP TO MANPREET RESIDENCE ON DEC 28

Meanwhile, GNDPT Employees Federation has decided to hold a protest march up to the residence of state finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal in Badal village on December 28 (Thursday). Senior vice-president of the federation Darshan Singh said, “During election campaign, Manpreet had promised that the thermal plant will work to its full capacity. We will hold a protest march to his residence.”

EMPLOYEES TO PROTEST ACROSS SUB-DIVISIONS ON JANUARY 1

In Patiala, a meeting of representatives of joint forum of the Punjab State Electricity Board Employees with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials remained unfruitful. The forum has announced that it will burn the effigies of the state government in all subdivisions and wear black badges on January 1, 2018, the day the closure decision comes into force . Protests will be held at Bathinda and Ropar on January 3.