FICO strongly opposes PSPCL’s U-turn on waiver of fixed charges
Demands to completely waive off fixed charges for period of lockdown
cityairnews
May 17, 2020 07:22
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Ludhiana: PSPCL takes U-turn on waiver of fixed charges for 2 months. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) latest decision that fixed charges will be levied on the industry, though they can provide these in instalments.
Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organization(FICO) strongly opposed the PSPCL’s U-Turn on waiver of fixed charges and said the decision will further increase the problems of the industry already struggling for revival.
Gurmeet Singh Kular, President, FICO said the government of Punjab assured us that they will not levy fixed charges during the lockdown and now when the PSPCL incurred losses, the government retracted from its promise. This is a bad decision, which will ruin the industry. How can we pay the fixed charges when the factories were locked, he asked. “We had not locked our industries on our own”, he said, adding, “It was the government’s decision.”
Kular requested Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh and PSPCL chairman Baldev Singh Sran to completely waive off the fixed charges for the period of lockdown. Rather, it is requested to waive off the fixed charges for next six months also (till 31 December 2020).
Meanwhile, Baldev Singh Amar, Vice President, FICO said the decision of the government is disturbing. The industry is already under stress as far as interest rates and wages are concerned and now the fixed charges for the lockdown is hard to digest. Moreover, for the period of lockdown the industrialists have been charged between 7 to 9 rupees per unit, instead of Rs. 5. “We request the government to waive off the fixed charges for the period of lockdown completely and further in future for 6 months”, he said.
