हिंदी
(Power cuts, costly power and reign of terror has created a fear psychosis among industrialists: NK Sharma)
Chandigarh, July 13 2021 The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today asserted that Capt. Amarinder Singh led Congress government’s utter failure to resolve problems of industrialists besides forced power cuts and costly power tariff rates was pushing them towards Uttar Pradesh.
In a statement here, the SAD Industry and Trade Wing president NK Sharma said the industry was literally closed down in Punjab due to compulsory offs and restrictions on heavy industry. He said this was coupled with high power rates of up to Rs 11 per unit.
Mr Sharma said the industry had lost faith in the chief minister who had failed to keep any promise made to them. He said the industrial sector was promised power at a landing cost of Rs five per unit but this promise was not kept. He said the Congress government had even gone back on its promise to waive off fixed charges for two months during the period of complete lockdown last year. “The industrial sector, which has suffered the most during the Covid pandemic, did not receive any help or financial package from the State government”, he added.
The SAD leader asserted that industrialists were looking for alternative investment options due to these factors as well as the worsening law and order situation which had led to a wave of kidnappings and extortions. “Industrialists don’t feel safe in Punjab presently”, Mr Sharma said adding this was why a delegation of industrialists had met Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Aditiyanath to explore investment options in that State. “We will witness a flight of capital from Punjab to Uttar Pradesh and other States in case the Congress government does not take urgent steps to resolve the grievances of the trade and industrial sector”, he added.
Mr Sharma said the high tariff rate as well as forced closures had made industry unviable in the State. He said industrialists had also suffered huge losses recently because they had been unable to honour the orders taken by them. “Despite all this the chief minister is oblivious to the pain of the sector and has not even given them an audience to explain their problems to him”.
The industry wing leader said even institutions which had been created to encourage new industry to set up shop in the State including the Invest Punjab department had become redundant in Congress rule. He said the same was the fate of the Governance Reforms department.
Mr Sharma said the industry is now looking towards 2022 Assembly polls so that it could re-elect a leader like Sukhbir Singh Badal who had earlier led a transformation movement in Punjab and created world class roads, infrastructure and airports to give a boost to the trade and industry sectors.
