Zirakpur areas reel under power cuts

Gaurav Kanthwal

Zirakpur, May 19

Amid the scorching heat, residents of Zirakpur are forced to brave long power cuts every day.

On an average, unscheduled power cuts stretching as long as three-four hours are being imposed daily, residents said. “For the past four days, our area has been witnessing frequent cuts in the daytime. Power supply is restored for half an hour and then it is back to square one,” said KR Sharma, a resident of Baltana.

PSPCL blames it on overloading

Officials of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) said there was no shortage of power but in summers, overloading issues cropped up in old cables and transformers.

No water supply in Dera Bassi area

At Shakti Nagar in Dera Bassi, which is also known as “Tubewell Colony”, residents have been facing water scarcity for the past one week. Water is being supplied through tankers there.

In many areas, residents have complained that power cuts are not restricted to afternoons. “There is no electricity at night in Dhakoli also. Only we know what a harrowing experience we are undergoing. No PSPCL official or politician is talking about this problem. There is only one standard reply: Maintenance work,” said Vinay Srivastav, a resident of Peermuchhalla.

Officials of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) said there was no shortage of power but in summers, overloading issues cropped up in old cables and transformers.

Uninterrupted power supply and safe drinking water are big issues in Zirakpur, Kharar and Mohali, yet no politician is talking about these. A large number of residents suffer from diarrhoea and vector-borne diseases year after year, yet nothing is being done to address the problem.

A resident of Sunny Enclave, Zirakpur, SC Dhall, said, “We have been facing water scarcity for the past two days. Normal water supply was restored last evening.”

At Shakti Nagar in Dera Bassi, which is also known as Tubewell Colony, residents have been facing water scarcity for the past one week. Water is being supplied through tankers there.