Power position comfortable in state
Attar Singh
Tribune News Service

Patiala, March 8
Power position in the state has become comfortable following which the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) promises some respite from power cuts this summer.

Sources in the board today said the PSEB was in a much comfortable position this year compared to the corresponding period last year. Power availability in the state today was 1,052 lakh units against a demand of 1,123 lakh units with a shortfall of 71 lakh units.

Power availability on the same day last year was 780 lakh units while demand was 1,001 lakh units and there was a gap of 1 lakh units.

The sources said consequently power cuts in the state today were fewer and shorter compared to last year. The tube wells were being supplied power for six hours, while last year in the corresponding period the tube wells were getting power only for four hours.

They said this time there were no power cuts in urban areas as also the four important towns of Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar. Last year, urban areas, meaning the district headquarters, were facing a cut of six hours daily, while four important towns were faced with power cut of three hours.

The sources said the board was getting 555 lakh units from three thermal plants, while it received 97 lakh units of power from hydro-electric projects. The PSEB got 94 lakh units as share of power from the Bhakra Beas Management Board, while it got another 307 lakh units from the central pool.

The sources said the fourth unit of the Bathinda Thermal Plant had been shut down temporarily for maintenance and it was likely to go back on stream shortly. They also said power position in Punjab had been better than in neighbouring states.

Availability of power was 990 lakh units in Haryana, 0 lakh units in Uttaranchal, 550 lakh units in Delhi, 280 lakh units in Jammu and Kashmir and 177 lakh units in Himachal. As a result there have been no power cuts in main cites, towns and rural areas of Punjab against four to 12 hours in Haryana, two hours power cuts in rural areas in Rajasthan, four to eight hours power cuts in Uttaranchal, four to10 hour power cuts in Uttar Pradesh and an hour power cut in Delhi.

Supply to industry in Punjab has also been 24 hours except for one day weekly off and three-hour peak load restriction, whereas it has been 18 hours in Haryana, 19 hours in Jammu and Kashmir and 18 hours in Uttar Pradesh, the sources added.