Industrial consumers in Punjab are bearing the brunt of a sudden power crisis, with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) imposing 8 to 10-hour cuts in major industrial centres, including Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Mohali, following the shutdown of one unit each at two private thermal power plants, affecting around 1,360 MW of dailygeneration.
Confirming that industrial consumers were facing curtailment, PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director Basant Garg said the restrictions had been imposed on consumers not connected to 66-KV lines. Industries not connected to the 66-KV network have been subjected to longer cuts, while efforts are being made to manage the demand-supply gap through available generation and power purchases. Garg said PSPCL had attempted to bridge the shortfall by buying electricity from the open market, but availability there too was limited due to a nationwide shortage of coal.
“The crisis arose after one unit each of two private thermal plants became non-functional, affecting our own generation by 1,360 MW,” he said. Officials said the industrial restrictions were a temporary measure to manage the sudden generation shortfall and maintain the overall power supply system.
Bajwa asked chief minister Bhagwant Mann and power minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond to explain how Punjab could become a leader in economic growth amid such power shortages. Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring alleged that the state’s power crisis had deepened under the AAP, with farmers struggling to save paddy crops, industries facing restrictions and villages witnessing prolonged power cuts. “I have spoken to several industrialists on this issue, and the common view is that instead of imposing 10-12-hour power cuts on a daily basis, it would be better if the government asked industries to shut down for one full day every week. Daily power cuts of 10-12 hours would cost us dearly.
We are already in discussion with the power minister over this issue,” said Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertakings (CICU) president Upkar Singh Ahuja. He said the power restrictions were hurting industrial production and businesses and alleged that workers were also bearing the impact. He said the government had left the people of the state in the lurch with unscheduled power cuts in the scorching heat and humid weather conditions.
