PSEB accepts farmer's demand for increasing power supply
GAGANDEP AHUJA
Tuesday, 03 February 2009

PATIALA: Punjab State Electricity Board(PSEB) on Tuesday accepted the major demand of farmer organisations for increasing power supply due to scanty rains this winter. A delegation of Bhartia Kissan Union (Lakhowal Group) led by General Secretary(Press) Bhupinder Singh Maheshri met the PSEB Chairman Harinder Singh Brar and discussed the various issues.

Brar has assured farmers to compensate the farmers in case of any disruption in the power supply due system fault.The issues of releasing pending tubewell connections registered up to 31.12.1990 under general category March 31, 2009, issuing transformers to the farmers who were given demand notices under OYT scheme were taken up in the meting. Brar assured to release the connections before paddy season.

Meeting was attended by Gurmit Singh Golewal Vice President,Ajmer Singh Gill General Secretary (West) Punjab, S.Harmeet Singh Quadian General Secretary (Organization),.Pawiter Singh Mangewal Distt President Patiala and S.Balwant Singh Khokh Block President Nabha. The following issues were discussed in this meeting.

Meanwhile PSEB sources said that the gap between the demand and availability of power has widened to 200 lakh units per day against 140 lakh units last week, resulting in long power cuts of up to six hours daily. Now the timing of power cuts may increased to eight hours in a day.

The decision to grant seven hour supply was taken after PSEB chairman HS Brar held a meeting with the BKU. As per the data gathered from the PSEB, the demand for power had touched 1,000 lakh units on Sunday against the availability of 840 lakh units, leaving a gap of 160 lakh units. On Monday, the demand had risen to over 1,000 lakh units.