Punjab electricity crisis: Sidhu yet to pay electricity bill worth over Rs 8.5 lakh

After lampooning Captain Amarinder Singh over the state government's policies on the power supply, reports have surfaced that Congress' disgruntled leader Navjot Singh Sidhu himself has not paid his electricity bill amounting to Rs 8,68,499 which is due for the past nine months.

Chandigarh: Congress' disgruntled leader Navjot Singh Sidhu launched a scathing attack against Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh over alleged mishandling of the electricity supply crisis in Punjab on Friday. With the ongoing Punjab Congress feud gaining momentum, Sidhu claimed that the people are paying more per unit than other states. But in a recent development, reports have emerged citing that the congress leader has not paid his electricity bill amounting to Rs 8,68,499. Reports have stated that Sidhu has not paid the electricity bill of his residence in Amritsar for the past nine months.

This comes as an embarrassment to the congress leader who has not only taken potshots at Captain Amarinder Singh but also held the Akalis equally responsible for the current crisis.

Read:|Punjab Congress' infighting continues; Sidhu lampoons CM's policies

A day after the Chief Minister ordered curtailment in timings of state government offices, and cutting down of power supply to high energy-consuming industries with immediate effect, to save crops and ease the domestic power situation, Navjot Singh Sidhu said the Punjab government would not have to go for power cuts "if we act in the right direction". The Chief Minister on Thursday had appealed to all government offices to make judicious use of electricity, as peak demand in the state had touched 14,500 MW.

Electricity bill of Navjot Singh Sidhu

Making these announcements, Captain had asserted that farmers were losing precious paddy transplantation time due to the power breakdowns, and therefore he made it clear that the agriculture sector needed to be prioritized for uninterrupted power supply. Reacting sharply to the state government's announcement, Sidhu suggested Captain Amarinder Singh adopt the original 'Punjab model' for the state and said the state government would not profit from copying Delhi's model.

Read:|Sidhu may get a bigger role to resolve Punjab Congress feud

Sidhu advised that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha can bring in new legislation to amend the Power Purchase Agreements signed by the Badal government which are responsible for the high electricity rates in the state.

However, with the recent revelations on the the congress leader not paying his bills has given ammunition to his opponents to target him over the much hyped power crisis in the state.

Read:|Rumours of key role for Sidhu after meeting with Rahul