Status quo on power front till monsoon hits Punjab: PSPCL chief

That the power cuts in Punjab would continue till monsoon hits the state is not a very heartening statement, especially if it comes from Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) chairman and managing director KD Chaudhary. He also said the two-day weekly off for industry would also continue.

That the power cuts in the state would continue till monsoon hits the state is not a very heartening statement, especially if it comes from the Powercom chairman.

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Talking to mediapersons here on Tuesday, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) chairman and managing director KD Chaudhary said the two-day weekly off for industry would also continue.

He said the rise in demand had resulted in nearly 20% power grids being overloaded, thus necessitating the power cuts. He said the PSPCL was facing a deficit of about 200 lakh units daily.

Chaudhary revealed that apart from the regular purchase of 700 to 1,000 lakh units, the PSPCL was purchasing 42,000 lakh units as a short-term measure to fill the demand-supply gap. He hoped that Ropar thermal plant's unit number 2, which had to be shut following a snag, would resume generation in a day or so.

Asked about PSPCL's failure to provide 24X7 power supply to its consumers, as promised by the government, he said the power scenario would improve as soon as the monsoon arrives.

Denying reports that Dasuya constituency, which was going to polls on July 11, enjoyed round the clock supply, he said cuts were being enforced everywhere without any discrimination.

He revealed that Punjab was ranked second in the country as far as reduction in power losses was concerned and hoped that in the next three years, these would be reduced further to 15% from the current 17.6%.