Chandigarh: Congress MP and former deputy chief minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Sunday alleged that Punjab was facing a crisis on multiple fronts, citing power shortages, deteriorating law and order and weak infrastructure.Accusing the AAP govt of focusing on political publicity rather than governance, Randhawa said chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s claims of making Punjab safe, prosperous and developed were at odds with the ground reality.Randhawa alleged that six of the state’s 10 thermal power plant units were shut, affecting around 1,400 MW of generation capacity and causing power shortages during the peak summer season.He also expressed concern over the law-and-order situation, referring to recent incidents of firing in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Batala.“The fact that bullets are being fired in broad daylight is proof that criminals and gangsters no longer fear the law,” he alleged.The Congress MP also cited the recent 40-foot breach in a canal embankment near Sathiali Headworks in Gurdaspur, alleging that it exposed the government’s failure to maintain irrigation infrastructure.He urged the Punjab govt to fix accountability in the concerned departments and put in place an effective flood management and disaster preparedness plan before the monsoon intensifies.“Punjab cannot afford another flood disaster. Precautionary measures taken today can prevent major losses in the future,” Randhawa said.
