SKM postpones plans to gherao Punjab CM’s home after power supply improves

THE PUNJAB State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on Sunday said that on an average, they have been supplying power to agriculture producers (AP) for 9.8 hours on a daily basis. Later in the day, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) — which had issued a July 5 ultimatum to PSPCL to improve power supply to the agricultural sector or they would gherao Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s residence Moti Mahal in Patiala on July 6 — released a statement: “Due to improvement in power supply for AP consumers, we have postponed the program of gherao of Moti Mahal on July 6.”

PSPCL Chairman cum Managing Director A Venuprasad told The Indian Express: “We have been supplying full power to AP for the past three days. We have purchased additional power. There is no cut in the domestic sector as well. However, power have been regulated to certain industries.”

PSPCL has divided Punjab into five zones, and each zone is further divided into three groups each. According to July data of PSPCL, in the border zone, which has Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts, average power supply to the AP sector in all three groups is 12.4 hours, while the central zone, which has Ludhiana East, Ludhiana West, Ludhiana Sub-urban and Khanna divisions, average supply to AP sector is 8 hours. In the north zone (Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr districts), average power supply to the AP sector in all three groups is 10.3 hours, said CMD PSPCL. West zone’s average power supply to AP sector is for 8.9 hours. This zone has Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktsar and Ferozepur districts while average power supply to south zone’s (Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Ropar and Mohali) AP sector is for 9.6 hours.

This supply is being given at the cost of curbs on Punjab’s industry, ban on ACs and change in office hours at government offices.

Meanwhile, after three days of compulsory offs in large scale industry, steel rolling mills and furnaces in central and north zone, this compulsory off will now be imposed on the industry in similar category in south and border zone from 8 am of July 4 to 8 am of July 7.

Meanwhile, Ludhiana industry regulation is over and the continous process industry in the state, except those dealing in essential services, will be allowed to operate at 30 per cent capacity from Monday, A Venu Prasad said in a press statement Sunday.

Units dealing in essential services including poultry, rice shellers, telecom and call centres have been exempted from these restrictions and are allowed to operate fully, he added.

Power officers to visit villages daily

A circular taken out by PSPCL Director Distribution D P S Grewal stated that field officers such as sub-divisional officers (SDOs), senior executive engineers (Sr. XEN) and superintendent engineers (SEs) must visit villages on a daily basis from July 5 to July 19 in order to meet villagers, sarpanches and kisan unions to listen to their grievances. The circular further says that officers should note down all the major works required to be carried out in those villages. The issues which cannot be resolved at SDO/Sr. XEN level should be raised before SEs or chief engineers (CEs). Every SDO must visit five villages daily while a Sr. XEN must visit five villages in any one subdivision on a daily basis and SE should visit five villages daily in any one division.

All major issues must be compiled by Sr. XENs on alternate days and should be submitted to their CE through SE. The village sub-stations should also be visited on a daily basis.