Industry reeling under power curbs in Punjab’s Doaba region

Narinder Singh Sagoo, president of Focal Point Industrial Area, Jalandhar, said about 12,000 industrial units in the region are suffering losses to the tune of ₹500 crore daily

Curbs and cuts imposed by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) are leading to heavy financial losses to industrial units in the state’s Doaba region, which comprises the four districts of Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar and Hoshiarpur.

Power cuts have hit production and delayed exports, say industrialists in Punjab’s Doaba region. (Representative photo)

Narinder Singh Sagoo, president of Focal Point Industrial Area, Jalandhar, said about 12,000 industrial units in the region are suffering around ₹500 crore losses daily. Sagoo said the power cuts have hit production and delayed exports, and there is a fear their clients will blacklist them.

Ashwani Victor, director of Victor Tools, said the production cost has increased threefold as 250 litres of diesel per hour is being used to run the unit. “It is total mismanagement on the part of the state government,” he said.

“We met the PSPCL director, distribution and generation, in Chandigarh on Friday, and raised our concerns. He assured us that power supply to industrial units with up to 100 KW load will be resumed the same day while the units having load of 500 KW will be resumed by Monday or Tuesday,” said Sagoo.