Patiala, June 23
Power generation in hydroelectric projects in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttaranchal and in other dams of the Northern region has fallen drastically. This has caused a power shortage of about 3000 megawatts (MW) in the region and has forced the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to impose unscheduled and unannounced power cuts in every sector.

Keeping in view the power requirements of the agricultural sector, the PSEB management has decided to make industries suffer huge production losses as it has imposed compulsory two weekly off days on the industrial sector from today while arc and induction furnaces would have to do with three weekly off days.

Mr Y.S. Ratra, Chairman, PSEB, said that these measures had to be taken by the board to ensure eight hours of uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture sector during the
paddy transplantation season.

Mr Ratra, while reading out the latest figures, said that the Bhakra dam inflow yesterday stood at 11,900 cusec while it was 43,460 cusec on the same day last year. Similarly, Mr Ratra added, that water inflow at Dehar, Pong and the Ranjit Sagar dam had also fallen to 3900 cusec presently against 15700 cusec, 1270 cusec against 3960 cusec and 3575 cusec against 11560 cusec respectively as compared to the June 21, last year.

Giving details about the power position, Mr Ratra said power availability from Bhakra and Beas Management Board (BBMB) to Punjab had been reduced by 60 lakh units. The Nathpa Jhakri power project which was delivering 1600 MW of power to the region before the paddy transplantation season had now come down to 800 MW. The total availability to PSEB on June 10 was 1370 lakh units which has come down to 1150 lakh units per day.

Mr Ratra said that he hoped that the power situation would ease with the increase in the pace of melting of snow due to rise in temperature which would raise the level of water in various reservoirs and dams.

Due to increase in the duration of power cuts and due to frequent breakdown of transformers following their overloading, the people of both rural and urban areas are literally feeling the heat.

Various farmers unions in certain pockets where there is low voltage or where there is no availability of the eight-hour power supply as promised by the state Congress government have launched agitations against the board’s failure to provide proper power supply.

People are also piqued at the fast burnout of transformers and subsequently, the slow speed at which they are being replaced by the board.