With paddy transplantation beginning in Jalandhar on Tuesday, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has stepped up efforts to ensure eight hours of daily electricity supply to farmers for running their tubewells during the peak agricultural season.
According to officials, the power department has carried out work on 134 agricultural feeders and upgraded transformers across Jalandhar Circle to handle the expected surge in electricity demand.
Officials said whenever an agricultural feeder will be burdened with increased load beyond their sanctioned capacity, some agricultural connections will be shifted to nearby feeders to prevent power disruptions and transformer failures.
To manage the increased demand, the PSPCL has divided agricultural consumers into different groups and allotted separate power supply timings. Farmers connected to the 66 KV Focal Point-I substation and 132 KV substation in Kahnpur will receive power from 7.30 am to 3.30 pm. This substation caters to consumers in Tanda Road, Maqsudan, Barring, Kot Sadiq, Panchhat and Sarhali areas.
Most of the remaining agricultural consumers fall under the two group supply system. Under this arrangement, one group will receive power from 4 am to 12 noon, while the second group will get supply from 12 noon to 8 pm. The substations covered under this system include Chaheru, Daulatpur, Daroli Kalan, Hoshiarpur Road, Phagwara, Jamsher, Alawalpur and Badshahpur. The PSPCL has said the groups will be rotated every two days so that farmers get different supply timings during the season.
To help farmers report power-related issues, the PSPCL has also set up a 24×7 Paddy Control Room. Farmers can contact the Jalandhar Circle control room at 96461-21416. Separate helpline numbers have also been issued for different divisions: East Division (96466-95106), Cantt Division (96461-14254), Phagwara Division (96461-14410), Model Town Division (96461-16777) and West Division (96461-14251).
Officials said the field staff have been placed on alert to attend complaints related to power cuts, feeder faults and transformer breakdowns.
Gulshan Chutani, PSPCL Deputy Chief Engineer, said, “We have the preparations to ensure steady eight-hour supply to farmers."
