Prolonged power outages brought industrialists and farmers onto the streets in Ludhiana on Monday, with industrial units protesting outages up to 14 hours and farmers alleging they were receiving only two to two-and-a-half hours of electricity against the promised eight-hour supply. Industrialists blocked NH-5 at Samrala Chowk for nearly two hours, while farmers staged a separate protest for nearly two hours outside the PSPCL Central Zone chief engineer’s office over uninterrupted supply.
Around 1,500 people participated in the protest, with representatives of 8-10 industrial associations raising slogans against the Punjab government and PSPCL. The protesters alleged that prolonged power cuts were severely affecting industrial operations and had left businesses struggling with production, orders and revenue.
The participating associations included the Punjab Dyers Association, Tajpur Road Dyers Association, Focal Point Dyers Association, Bahadur Ke Road Dyers Association, Industrial Area Dyers Association and Hargobindpura Industry Association, among others.
Bobby Jindal, president of the Punjab Dyers Association, said, “Industrial units have been grappling with power disruptions for the past two-and-a-half months, with outages stretching up to 14 hours. The prolonged cuts are severely affecting production, particularly in dyeing units and other industries where uninterrupted electricity is essential to operate machinery and maintain production cycles.”
“Repeated outages are affecting industrial units on several fronts, with businesses losing production time, orders and revenue,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}“Repeated outages are affecting industrial units on several fronts, with businesses losing production time, orders and revenue,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Jindal warned that if the situation continued, factory production could fall by nearly 70%, making it increasingly difficult for industrial units to keep their operations running.
Industrialists said frequent interruptions were also making it difficult for units to complete orders within deadlines. Prolonged outage disrupts manufacturing schedules and increases operational losses while businesses continue to face delivery commitments.
The association leaders further said they had been raising the issue with the authorities for a long time but were frustrated by the continuing disruption. With no relief in sight, they took their agitation to the highway, where the blockade brought traffic to a standstill for nearly two hours.
Traffic was diverted from Samrala Chowk towards Sherpur Chowk and from Jamalpur towards GT Road. The blockade led to long queues of vehicles on NH-5 and affected movement on connecting routes, causing inconvenience to commuters and other road users.
Meanwhile, members of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha staged a separate protest outside the PSPCL Central Zone chief engineer’s office over inadequate electricity supply to agricultural feeders during the paddy season.
Amandeep Singh, president of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, said, “Farmers had been promised eight hours of electricity but are receiving only two to two-and-a-half hours of supply in several areas.The shortage is making irrigation difficult during the crucial paddy season.
He demanded that the promised eight-hour supply be ensured.
Central Zone chief engineer Jagdev Singh Hans attributed the recent power shortage to technical outages at the Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo thermal plants. “All major generating units have now resumed operations, power supply has been restored across Punjab and temporary restrictions on industrial, agricultural and domestic consumers have been withdrawn,” he said.