Ahmedabad, Nov 7 (IANS): The Gujarat unit of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday criticised the state government and its policies, saying the decision to outsource operations of the power substation had led to a significant loss of potential employment opportunities.

Gujarat unit AAP general secretary Sagar Rabari said "the government's decision to outsource operations of the entire 66kV substation infrastructure to private entities, in deals totaling Rs 753 crore, has led to a significant loss of potential employment, particularly affecting rural communities".

The AAP leader shed light on the predicament faced by local electrical engineers who had formed companies under government initiatives like Start Up India.

He pointed out that "over 80 such companies were set up with the expectation of securing government contracts for substation projects. However, the government shifted the goalposts by imposing additional conditions after tenders were issued, mandating that bidders must have experience in managing at least two substations".

Rabari argued that this retrospective condition unjustly disqualified 51 of the 80 companies, essentially sidelining the youth who had invested heavily with hopes pinned on these government projects.

The exclusion from the lucrative tender process, he said, plunged many into financial despair and was perceived as a ploy to favor more significant, established players.

AAP's demands, as voiced by Rabari, insist that the government "should retain control of the power substations, citing previous instances where reliance on private power plants extracted heavy costs from the middle class".