Mandatory power cut of 34 hours in a week put Mohali and Dera Bassi industry in misery
GAGANDEEP AHUJA
Friday, 02 January 2009

PATIALA: The manufacturing units in the Mohali district of Punjab are facing severe problems as the economic meltdown continues to worsen.

The Punjab State Electricity Board's (PSEB) recent decision to enforce 34-hour mandatory power cut per week has left these units with no option but to slow down their manufacturing process and reduce the number of shifts.

Reportedly, some industries have decreased their production activity and have even given an extended leave to their staff.

Sources said that units situated in Dera Bassi area which was earlier part of Patiala district have severely hit by power crises.

The situation has adversely affected these units, forcing many to shut shop. Besides extended power cuts, government apathy has left most of the industrial units in Mohali and Dera Bassi in a state of despair.

Over 1,200 small-scale industrial units in Mohali and Dera Bassi, which employ nearly 1,00,000 people, have been affected by the global financial crisis. Many of these industries are engaged in manufacturing engineering goods and automobile parts. With exports shrinking drastically and domestic market in doldrums, the current scenario for Mohali's industries looks quite gloomy.

In addition to the financial crunch, prolonged power cuts by the state government have slowed down the production activity of micro and small industrial units in Mohali.

Poor planning and lack of foresight on the part of the government have left Mohali and Dera Bassi industrial units in a state of misery. The lackadaisical attitude of the government towards taking adequate relief measures for languishing industrial units has increased the financial woes of these players. Insufficient power and water supply along with poor infrastructure have further worsened the state of these industries. The appalling situation is discouraging foreign investors to establish their projects in the district.

The bleak prospects have already forced some of the industries to shift their base to Baddi — an industrial town in Himachal Pradesh. However, other industries, which are unable to shift base, have placed their hopes on the Union government to take immediate action for revival of small scale industries in Mohali and Dera Bassi.