Punjab Newsline
Farmers body demands removal of Punjab Electricity Board chairman
GAGANDEEP AHUJA
Tuesday, 23 June 2009

PATIALA: The Consortium of Indian Farmers’ Association (CIFA) -Punjab unit has demanded the immediate intervention of Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal to set right the functioning of Punjab State electricity Board (PSEB).

Talking to this reporter over phone from Delhi The president of Punjab unit Statham Singh Behru said that PSEB’s chief HS Brar has failed to perform.

He said that since late arriving of Monsoon it was necessary that farmers have been depending on tube well irrigation in the state. Board has been flooded with applications seeking tube wells connection for setting up tube wells for their farms. He said that according to his information over 20000 applications were still pending with Board for tube well connections.

Behru added that chairman HS Brar has failed to make arrangements of transformers for the farmers in the state.

CIFA- Punjab unit, had supported SAD in recent parliament elections, has called upon for setting up a special fund for farmers in the Union Budget. They had also asked for the implementation of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations.

Meanwhile power demand has increased all time high. The power utility has been able to supply only 1,465 lakh units per day against a demand for 1,840 lakh units per day, facing a massive shortfall of 375 lakh units, said a PSEB Spokesperson.

Punjab state electricity Board has issued an appeal to people of Punjab not to use air conditioners. Board has voluntarily shut its ACs in all the offices.

Spokesperson of PSEB said that Board has requested all its consumers that if they wanted to switch ACs on they should maintain its temperature not below that 27 degree centigrade.

Meanwhile Punjab State Electricity Board has imposed three-day power cuts on induction and arc furnaces and two-day shut down on other industrial sectors to ensure eight-hour electricity supply to the agriculture sector for paddy sowing.

Power shortage has hit work in industrial units across the state badly and production has come to a halt in several units. This has resulted in a delay in completion of orders.