Announced ahead of the Ludhiana West byelection as a flagship promise, the power department’s plan to install over 234 transformers across the city within 90 days has failed to materialise in the F block of Rishi Nagar, an upscale locality in the constituency. Residents said the area was earmarked for the installation of a 200 KVA transformer before the byelection to curb frequent power outages and ease the load on the existing network ahead of the polls.
However, six months have passed since the conclusion of the Ludhiana West byelection and the project has seen no real progress on the ground. Initially, officials erected some electric poles to detangle the hanging wires coming from nearby colonies, but these poles were never made functional, leaving the existing issues unresolved, residents noted.
Adding to the concerns, residents pointed out that equipment worth ₹3 lakh, issued by the department to carry out the transformer installation, continues to lie idle at the colony’s entry gate, forcing residents to grapple with persistent power-related problems.
Before the byelection, they carried out some upgradation works in the area. But after the polls, the work was stalled, leaving the equipment abandoned with no accountability. It has been more than six months and the department has failed to take any cognisance of the issue, residents added.
Explaining the delay, junior engineer Hardeep Singh from the Aggar Nagar division said, “The project was planned to shift the load from KVM Colony and was being carried out with the help of a private contractor who left the job midway. We issued the materials from the PSPCL central store under my supervision and kept them outside the colony gate until a new contractor could be onboarded. But I suffered a leg fracture in an accident and have been on medical leave since then. As the subdivision has only three junior engineers, the responsibility was not transferred to the remaining two, leading to further delays.”
{{/usCountry}}Explaining the delay, junior engineer Hardeep Singh from the Aggar Nagar division said, “The project was planned to shift the load from KVM Colony and was being carried out with the help of a private contractor who left the job midway. We issued the materials from the PSPCL central store under my supervision and kept them outside the colony gate until a new contractor could be onboarded. But I suffered a leg fracture in an accident and have been on medical leave since then. As the subdivision has only three junior engineers, the responsibility was not transferred to the remaining two, leading to further delays.”
{{/usCountry}}When contacted, Rajesh Kumar Garg, XEN, Aggar Nagar division, said,” I am not aware of the issue as I have been recently transferred here. But I will look into the matter to resolve the issue.”