Strong winds and heavy rain disrupted normal life across Jalandhar on Saturday morning, triggering widespread power outages that left several localities without electricity for up to seven hours.
The inclement weather damaged power infrastructure, causing a sharp spike in consumer complaints and prolonging restoration efforts by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).
Residents and business owners bore the brunt of the extended outages. Commercial hubs were hit hard, forcing shopkeepers to deal with disruptions during peak business hours.
According to PSPCL officials, nearly 130 feeders of 11 kV lines across Jalandhar were knocked out between 8 am and 3 pm. Jalandhar Cantt was the worst-hit subdivision with 45 affected feeders, followed by Model Town with 20, and the city’s industrial areas with 15.
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Surge in complaints
By 5 pm on Saturday, the PSPCL had received over 6,000 complaints — a massive spike compared to the 1,000 to 2,000 complaints received on a typical day. Despite field teams working continuously, only about half of the complaints had been resolved by the evening.
Locals expressed deep frustration over the sluggish restoration. Gurjot Singh, a resident of Preet Nagar, said, “The electricity went off shortly after the rain started and remained disrupted for hours. Even when the power briefly came back on, it tripped again immediately.”
Business owners faced similar hurdles. Gurleen Kaur, a shopkeeper in Dilkusha Market, added, “We had no electricity since morning and I had to turn customers away. The supply was briefly restored in the evening before snapping again.”
While PSPCL officials claimed that primary supply to major areas was restored between 2.30 pm and 3 pm, localised faults kept many pockets dark into the evening. Officials added that a detailed assessment of the infrastructure damage was underway to determine the full extent of the losses.
