With temperatures soaring, power demand has risen sharply, leaving Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) struggling to cope with the mounting pressure.
A PSPCL official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that no additional power generation capacity had been added by the state government.
“We are left to face public anger all the time as we have limited options. A recently established steel plant in the region requires nearly 100 MW of uninterrupted power due to its large investment. Where will that power come from? Supply is being diverted from our already limited generating units. It is difficult to imagine how we are managing operations with inadequate power and staff,” rued the official.
Recently, a transformer caught fire in the industrial area, affecting nearly 100 industrial units and factories, despite government claims of replacing old wires and transformers.
Paras Bhatia, who resides near Kailash Chowk, said one power phase remained disrupted for over six to seven hours.
“Despite lodging complaints, the issue was not resolved. The entire area suffered due to erratic supply,” he alleged.
Chief Engineer JS Hans, however, maintained that the department was making every effort despite resource constraints.
“With limited resources, we are trying to tackle the issues. There may be sudden faults in certain areas and we attempt to address them at the earliest. As temperatures rise, power demand also increases. But we are managing and will continue to address these issues,” he said.
