Daily demand: 2,300 lakh units | Availability: 2,150 lakh units!
PATIALA – Faced with acute shortage of coal, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is once again resorting to power cuts across the state. Poor coal supply by the Railways and need to “improve performance of the PSPCL washery” have been termed as major areas of concern by the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL).
At present, the PSPCL has daily availability of 2,150 lakh units of power, but the demand has reached 2,300 lakh units.
Sources in the PSPCL confirmed that the power supply had been restricted to the agriculture sector from the promised eight hours to less than six hours daily. Farmer leaders across the state, however, said they were not getting power for even five hours. With the area facing deficient monsoon, crop production might be hit, they said.
A senior PSPCL official said the urban industry in small towns was also facing five-hour power cuts. “Except Bathinda, Patiala, Amritsar and Ludhiana, which are facing unofficial cuts of less than an hour on some days, all districts are facing power cuts,” he said.
In a letter to the PSPCL Chief Engineer (Fuel), the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a Government of India undertaking, has stated in July 2014 that the CCL had promised to supply 86 rakes against which the Railways allotted 64 rakes and 52 were actually supplied.
“Initially there was some delay in sanctioning of programmes by the Railways. The materialisation also suffered due to submission of programme by the PSPCL from the Jharia fields only. It was repeatedly requested to submit few programmes from Giridih side to improve materialisation,” reads the letter sent by CCL GM on August 18, 2014.
Daily demand: 2,300 lakh units | Availability: 2,150 lakh units!
PATIALA – Faced with acute shortage of coal, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is once again resorting to power cuts across the state. Poor coal supply by the Railways and need to “improve performance of the PSPCL washery” have been termed as major areas of concern by the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL).
At present, the PSPCL has daily availability of 2,150 lakh units of power, but the demand has reached 2,300 lakh units.
Sources in the PSPCL confirmed that the power supply had been restricted to the agriculture sector from the promised eight hours to less than six hours daily. Farmer leaders across the state, however, said they were not getting power for even five hours. With the area facing deficient monsoon, crop production might be hit, they said.
A senior PSPCL official said the urban industry in small towns was also facing five-hour power cuts. “Except Bathinda, Patiala, Amritsar and Ludhiana, which are facing unofficial cuts of less than an hour on some days, all districts are facing power cuts,” he said.
In a letter to the PSPCL Chief Engineer (Fuel), the Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), a Government of India undertaking, has stated in July 2014 that the CCL had promised to supply 86 rakes against which the Railways allotted 64 rakes and 52 were actually supplied.
“Initially there was some delay in sanctioning of programmes by the Railways. The materialisation also suffered due to submission of programme by the PSPCL from the Jharia fields only. It was repeatedly requested to submit few programmes from Giridih side to improve materialisation,” reads the letter sent by CCL GM on August 18, 2014.
