Power board gears up for paddy transplantation season
KS Chawla

Ludhiana, May 9
The authorities of the newly formed Punjab State Power Corporation are hoping that the power supply position will be better this summer and people of the state will not have to face heavy power cuts. At present no restrictions have been imposed on the supply to urban areas and the industry is also getting adequate power.

In order to meet demands during the peak paddy transplantation season starting June 10 to October 15, the corporation has contracted power worth Rs 1,800-1,900 crore with various states and private power suppliers. It will buy about 1,200 MW power for this purpose, says VK Gupta, member (transmission) of the Punjab State Power Corporation.

Gupta said efforts would be made to ensure eight-hour power supply to tubewells during the paddy transplantation period. The corporation has also contracted power supply at the rate of Rs 5.75 per unit at the Punjab periphery, he added.

Besides, the corporation also has banking power arrangements with some states. Private companies that have been contracted include JSW, Laico and TATA Power Corporation.

With the rise in temperature, inflow in the hydel reservoirs has also increased, except for Pong Dam. Bhakra reservoir is having 25,000 cusecs of water a day and Ranjit Sagar reservoir is also receiving 9,000 cusecs daily. In view of the rise in the inflows, hydel projects of Shannan, Anandpur Sahib and Bhakra are generating adequate power. But because of low level of water of Pong Dam reservoir, Mukerian hydel project has not gone into full steam.

According to Gupta, power supply to tubewells in the cotton belt is being maintained at 5-6 hours daily.

The coal supply position to the thermal plants is also sufficient and all three plants have one month coal reserve at present, says KD Chaudhry, member (generation) of the corporation. However, two units of Bathinda thermal plant and one unit each of Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar are out of function due to annual maintenance and fault in a boiler in one unit of Bathinda plant.

According to sources, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has instructed the power authorities to ensure that people of the state did not face any difficulties in the power supply during the next two years as the Vidhan Sabha elections would be held in February 2012. He has also directed all departments to redress the grievances of the people, it is learnt.