Ludhiana: 94% spike in unauthorised load blamed for power outages in city

Several localities across the city, including GTB Nagar, Gobind Nagar, Chandigarh Road, Karnail Singh Nagar, Luxmi Nagar, Guru Har Rai Nagarand Civil City, are among the worst affected

Amid an intense summer heatwave, residents of Ludhiana are facing power outages and voltage fluctuations, particularly during night hours.

To address the crisis, PSPCL had previously announced a ₹245 crore infrastructure upgrade that includes installing 234 new transformers, 34 feeders and modernised grids citywide. (HT Photo)

Several localities across the city, including GTB Nagar, Gobind Nagar, Chandigarh Road, Karnail Singh Nagar, Luxmi Nagar, Guru Har Rai Nagarand Civil City, are among the worst affected.

Anita Verma, a resident of GTB Nagar in the Focal Point division, said power disruptions have lasted up to six to seven hours on alternate nights. “Despite multiple complaints and assurances, nothing has changed,” she said.

Civil City resident Sumit Jaiswal reported a similar ordeal, citing a power cut from 8pm on Monday to 4.30am the next morning.

Even upscale BRS Nagar in the Aggar Nagar division, usually spared such issues, experienced a brief outage around 11pm. Though the supply was restored quickly, residents found the disruption unusual.

Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials attributed the outages to a sharp rise in electricity consumption, driven by widespread use of air conditioners and coolers. They also blamed a spike in unauthorised electricity loads, which have increased by 94%—from 11,060 cases in 2024 to 21,496 this year.

To address the crisis, PSPCL had previously announced a ₹245 crore infrastructure upgrade that includes installing 234 new transformers, 34 feeders and modernised grids citywide.

Jagdev Singh Hans, chief engineer, PSPCL central zone, said, “We have around 20 lakh consumers in Ludhiana, and many are drawing more power than sanctioned. I’ve instructed all divisional heads to trace and address the root causes of recurring outages.”

Hans has assured that necessary measures like transformer upgrades and equipment replacement will be carried out within the next two days to stabilise power supply.