With the state reeling under an unprecedented power shortage amid extreme temperatures, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday ordered curtailment in timings of state government offices from tomorrow, and cutting down of power supply to high energy-consuming industries with immediate effect, to save crops and ease the domestic power situation.
He also appealed to all government offices to make judicious use of electricity in government offices, adding that the situation was dire as the peak demand in the state had touched a whopping 14500 MW. So far, there is no decision on ban on the use of ACs in government offices, which will function from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. till further orders, an official spokesperson said after the meeting.
The Chief Minister also urged the agitating Power Department employees to call off their stir, which has aggravated the crisis, with complaints of breakdowns resulting from overloading of feeders and sub-stations not being addressed promptly.
Reviewing the situation at a high-level meeting, the
Chief Minister constituted a three-member committee, comprising Additional
Chief Secretary - Development, CMD – PSPCL, and Special Secretary Finance, to
resolve the grievances of the agitating employees. He assured the employees
that all their genuine demands will be duly considered for appropriate action.
He pointed out that many of the demands of the employees, such as an increase in
employee NPS share, restoration of Generation Incentive, etc. had already been
conceded, and the 6th Pay scales were also being implemented by various
Boards/Corporations of the State.
Also Read:Electricity Issue: Powercom appeals to keep ACs off for 3 days
The Chief Minister urged the employees to withdraw their agitation in the interest of the state’s agriculture and industry, as well as the domestic consumers who were facing a difficult time due to prolonged power outages amid the Covid pandemic.
Pointing out that the farmers were losing precious paddy transplantation time due to the power breakdowns, the Chief Minister made it clear that the agriculture sector needed to be prioritized for uninterrupted power supply.
He reiterated his government’s commitment to ensuring regular supply of power at subsidized rates to the state’s Agricultural, Domestic and Industrial consumers.
Also, Punjab CM has called for a high-level meeting in Chandigarh tomorrow in which significant decision regarding power purchase could be taken so uninterrupted electricity supply can persist in the state.
Earlier in the day, the govt directed industrial units in the state to remain shut for two days, as demand for power from the agriculture sector escalated during the season’s peak time.
These industries have been compulsorily asked to be non-operational from 2 pm today till 2 pm Saturday as they constitute almost 90 percent of the total units in the state. The demand for electricity in Punjab has exceeded the record 14500 MW, due to which the above decision has been taken.
From the past three days, unscheduled and long powers of two to six hours were reported from across the state in lieu to keep up with the demand of farmers.
Notably, these decisions have been taken by Capt Amarinder Singh after SAD chief Sukhbir Badal was lashing out against him for not providing enough power to the farmers during the peak time of cultivation.