Power crisis: PSPCL closure order triggers panic as manufacturers fear losing orders

Corporation announced another regulatory measure for large industries, rolling mills, arc and induction furnaces from July 7 to July 10

With the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) directing the large industries in the state to shut their operations for another three days amid a grim power scenario, manufacturers are apprehending losing orders and delay in meeting export commitments.

Power crisis: PSPCL closure order triggers panic as manufacturers fear losing orders

In the fresh orders issued on Monday, the corporation announced another electricity regulatory measure with three weekly-offs for the general industry (large scale), rolling mills, arc and induction furnaces from July 7 to July 10.

The power crisis reared its head on July 1 when industries located in the state’s central zone comprising Ludhiana, Mandi Gobindgarh, Khanna, Amloh and Sirhind and north zone consisting of Jalandhar, Phagwara and Hoshiarpur were asked to compulsorily close their units for 48 hours and resume operations only after 2pm on Saturday. Manufacturing units in these areas constitute 90% of the state’s industries.

In another order, the existing curbs in the central and north zones were extended by a day with an additional weekly-off.

In industrial units of the central zone, three-day compulsory off ended at 2pm on Sunday (July 4) while the shutdown ended at 8am in mixed land use areas the next day. In the north zone, compulsory offs on industrial units ended at 8pm on Sunday.

With Sunday being observed as a closed day, the general industry resumed operations only on Monday.

Sudershan Jain, president, Knitwear and Apparel Manufacturers’ Association, said the situation is worse for the hosiery sector. “We are shaken by all that is happening. Ours is a seasonal industry and we have to honour commitments to all our clients in both India and abroad. Working amid such uncertainty is causing huge losses to us,” he said.

Chamber of Industrial and Commercial Undertaking (CICU) president Upkar Singh Ahuja said they are in talks with the government for a solution. “The announcement has triggered panic in the industry but we are going to meet the senior functionaries for a solution,” he said.

For the cycles and cycle part manufacturing units, the going has been equally tough. “It’s a complete system failure of the government. Repeated shutdown announcements are not the solution. We are the supporting industry for the larger firms and the entire chain is broken with such curbs,” said DS Chawla, president, United Cycle Parts Manufacturers Association.

Badish Jindal of the Federation of Punjab Small Industries Association said, “Each day counts for the manufacturing industry and we have already borne the brunt of the Covid pandemic and the farmers’ protest last year when goods trains were stopped for over a month. The industry doesn’t seem to be important for the government and we are made the scapegoat in times of crisis.”