A 10-hour power outage triggered protests in several parts of Ludhiana as residents took to the streets after a scheduled outage from 8 pm to midnight was repeatedly extended till 6 am on Friday.
Residents began gathering at five 66-kV grids around 2.30-3 am during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday and continued their protests till the wee hours, raising slogans against the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the state government. Power supply was restored around 6 am.
The outage had initially been scheduled for Category-2 and Category-3 industrial feeders from 8 pm to midnight following directions from PSPCL headquarters in Patiala.
However, when residents expected power to be restored at midnight, they were informed that the outage had been extended till 2 am. Even after 2 am, when power was not restored, residents were informed that the outage would continue till 6 am.
Residents from Focal Point, Meharban, Tajpur Road, Singla Cycle Road and GT Road reached the respective 66-kV grids to protest the repeated extensions. A large number of residents gathered outside some of the grids, where only around two employees were reportedly present, resulting in tense situations during the night.
Residents said they had been facing scheduled outages from 8 pm to midnight for the past several days and had been managing with the arrangement. However, the repeated extension of the outage on Thursday night left families struggling, particularly those with children and elderly members.
{{/usCountry}}Residents said they had been facing scheduled outages from 8 pm to midnight for the past several days and had been managing with the arrangement. However, the repeated extension of the outage on Thursday night left families struggling, particularly those with children and elderly members.
{{/usCountry}}Ramesh Chand, a Focal Point resident, said his family had waited for the power supply to return at midnight. However, when the outage was first extended till 2 am and then till 6 am, it became difficult to manage, particularly for children and elderly family members.
Residents also questioned why residential areas were being supplied through feeders classified as industrial.
They said the outage was intended for industrial consumers, but households connected to the same feeders were also being forced to bear its impact.
Arjun, a Meharban resident, said people had no objection to measures being taken to manage the power shortage, but the outage schedule should be communicated clearly instead of being extended repeatedly during the night.
Residents demanded that PSPCL announce outage schedules in advance and adhere to them. They also sought steps to separate residential load from industrial feeders so that households are not affected by outages imposed on industrial consumers.
Calls made to PSPCL chief engineer Jagdev Singh Hans for a comment went unanswered.