Ropar, August 8
On account of non-payment of electricity bills to the tune of Rs 3 lakh for the past about a year by the Ropar Headworks Division of the Irrigation Department, the power supply to the Ropar headworks, offices of the headworks division and waterworks of the residential colony was disconnected by the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) here last evening.

This had created panic among the local headworks authorities who have sent SOS messages to the Chief Engineer (Canal), Punjab, Superintending Engineer, Sirhind Canal, Ludhiana, and the Ropar Deputy Commissioner to immediately take up the matter with the state government to issue instructions to the PSEB to restore the power supply to the headworks without delay or issue funds to the Ropar Headworks Division for depositing the pending electricity bills.

The Ropar Headworks Division authorities said today that the headworks had 48 gates to regulate and control the waters of the Sutlej. These gates were opened with a system using electricity during emergency and flashfloods, while in the normal course these were opened manually. It took about 30 minutes to open each gate with the system using electricity, while manually it took about two hours.

The authorities are worried over the disconnection of the power supply to the headworks, fearing a havoc in case flashfloods hit the area.

Sources in the PSEB said the authorities were forced to cut the power supply to the headworks as the headworks authorities had failed to clear the payment of electricity bills for the past 12 months. They said the SDO, Headworks, had not deposited dues to the tune of Rs 2.65 lakh, while the SDO, Sirhind Canal, had not made the payment of about Rs 35,000 so far.