Farmers protest against the newly enacted farm laws especially in Punjab is of grave concern as the state is heading towards a major power crisis. Soon, Punjab will witness blackout as farmers have blocked the railway tracks for over 20 days and no goods train is allowed to enter the region.
Farmer organizations are not willing to end up a stir of blocking rail and road networks against the contentious farm laws, officials said.
Although, the state has asked the farmers to end train blockades, as the state's coal stocks are critical, and if not replenished soon, there will be severe power shortages that will hamper the wheat sowing operations too.
Recently, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is relying on electricity purchase from the national grid with the thermal plants in the state which are running at a minimal capacity due to acute coal shortage.
According to the report of Hindustan Times, the state on Sunday morning has bought 6,700 megawatt (MW) electricity from the national grid of a total demand of 8,200 megawatt (MW). Notably, this purchase is highest till date.
Although, the state's thermal power plants are capable of producing 5,200 MW of power but are just generating 1,100 MW of power due to a shortage of coal.
“We are facing a crisis as the state got no coal supply for the last 20 days. We are managing the situation by purchasing power from the national grid. The chief minister has appealed to the protesting farmers and I hope that they will allow the passage of coal rakes for power generation,” said director (distribution) DS Grewal.
Mr. Grewal further added that the state usually sells electricity or transfer power to the electricity banks with other states in October. But, for the past one week, the state is borrowing power from other state banks and also, purchasing 600-800 MW power regularly at around Rs 3 per unit. If it continued for several other days, Punjab would turn incapable of meeting demands. Also, Punjab has permission to buy a maximum of 6,500 MW from outside and an overload would apparently result in a breakdown.
“The state has to generate power to meet the balance from the central pool to meet the grid norms. The power generation at hydel power plants has also been increased to meet the demand. The power demand is likely to decrease in the next few days but it would go up in the third week of October when the festival season will kickstart,” he added.
State Social Welfare Minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot told the media the thermal plants have left with coal for two days. After that the government would be forced to shut them, resulting in major power outbreaks.
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Reiterating his government's full support to the agitating farmers in their fight against the Centre's 'black' farm laws, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has appealed to them to relax their ongoing 'Rail Roko' protest to allow goods trains to pass through in the interest of the state and its people.
In an appeal to protesting farmers, he has urged them to ease their rail blockade to ensure that the state can meet its critical needs and ensure that the citizens, including the farming community, are not put to any serious inconvenience in the coming days.
The Chief Minister, who on October 7 rejected the one-week ultimatum of farmer unions for holding a special Assembly session to negate the farm laws, has pointed out that due to the prolonged blockade of goods trains, the situation at coal plants is critical.
Once the supplies run out, the government will be forced to shut down these plants, which will severely impact the state's electricity supply and cause immense hardship to citizens, he noted.
Further, said the CM, with not a single fertilizer rake entering Punjab for the past week, there could be a severe shortage of fertilizer for use by farmers for the sowing of the wheat crop.
Meanwhile, the Centre government has once again invited the farmers for talks on farm laws on October 14. A decision on whether to accept the invitation will be taken at a meeting in Jalandhar on October 13, the farmer leaders said.
However, these agitated rail roko movement has impacted the petrol pumps of Jammu and Kashmir. As per reports, the state's petrol pumps have nearly exhausted their stocked fuel and due to massive protests goods trains are not allowed to ply.
According to Anan Sharma, head of Jammu Kashmir Petrol Dealers Association, 70 wagons of petrol used to come to Jammu by freight train and then by tankers to Jammu city and Jammu Kashmir UT and Ladakh UT. Due to farmers protest in Punjab, no train arrived here from October 1.
Presently, petrol and diesel from Jalandhar and Bathinda are reaching Jammu and Kashmir. Whereas earlier 400–450 tanker petrol-diesel was supplied daily, now only 200 tankers are getting petrol and diesel thus, causing shortage.
However, this will have a direct impact on the army, paramilitary, and police which send their tankers to get oil.