Angry residents blocked the main chowk under the flyover in Kharar on Monday night, protesting against the Punjab government and the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) over recurring power outages that have plagued both urban and rural areas of the district during peak summer. The Aam Aadmi Party government's claim of ensuring adequate power supply has fallen short of public expectations, as outages continue to disrupt daily life.
Residents and Farmers Face Severe Disruptions
PSPCL officials have faced the wrath of residents in urban areas and farmers in villages after failing to provide uninterrupted power supply when it was needed most. In some villages of Dera Bassi and Lalru, PSPCL has provided power for only two hours in the past two days. Irate villagers in Mubarikpur and Lalru gheraoed PSPCL employees and raised slogans against the Punjab Government and Dera Bassi MLA.
Several areas of Kharar remained powerless from 6 pm to 2 am. Hospital Road had been without electricity since morning, with supply only restored in the afternoon. In Mullanpur, PSPCL has not been able to complete line augmentation for the past three months. In Zirakpur's Preet Colony, women, elderly and children put up cots on the road to get some respite as electricity eluded the area.
Political Reactions and Economic Impact
Former Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu of the Congress said, “During the most crucial period of paddy sowing, neither is canal water reaching the fields nor is adequate electricity being provided. Farmers are forced to spend Rs 6,000-7,000 on diesel to run gensets to irrigate fields.” Vineet Joshi, state media head of the BJP, added, “Residents are being forced to endure hours of unscheduled outages in the scorching heat, while the government remains busy with advertisements and publicity.”
The worst-affected areas include Darpan Green, Darpan City, Garden Colony, Ajit Enclave, Guru Nanak Enclave, Dhindsa Colony, Hidden City, Ranjit Nagar, Shivjot Enclave, Shivalik City, Ekam Onkar City, Mundi Kharar, Sunny Enclave and Model Town. Despite repeated complaints by residents to PSPCL officials, the situation has seen little improvement.
Erratic Schedules and Infrastructure Issues
Joshi noted that erratic electricity supply is causing serious economic distress to traders, shopkeepers and small businesses dependent on uninterrupted power for refrigeration, machinery and daily operations. Zirakpur residents complained that PSPCL cannot even provide accurate information about timings of power cuts. On the day of the protest, a shutdown for commissioning a new 20 MVA power transformer on the 66 KV Ramgarh Bhudda grid was scheduled from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm, affecting areas including Lohgarh, Singhpura, PR-7 Road and VIP Road. The power cut was later extended to 3 pm, and another message stated that all 11 KV feeders from the 66 KV Ramgarh Bhudda, Baltana, Bhabat and Dhakoli grids would remain shut from 2 pm to 4 pm, affecting all areas under Zirakpur division.
Kharar PSPCL executive engineer Amanpreet Singh Mavi explained, “Kharar city requires 320 MVA of power, for which two grids of 160 MVA each have been installed. Power cuts are being imposed due to a lack of supply from the source.” Residents continue to demand immediate action to resolve the crisis.
