CHANDIGARH: In the backdrop of power cuts in the state, Punjab Power and Public Works Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on Saturday said that Punjab is currently receiving 1,051 MW less power against its share from the Central Power Pool.
“Punjab is an agrarian state and adequate and uninterrupted power supply is essential for our farmers and the state’s economy. The Centre should immediately provide Punjab its due share from the Central Power Pool,” he said. 
The Power Minister said that he has also urged the Union Power Minister, through a written communication, to immediately ensure that Punjab receives its full and rightful share from the Central Power Pool.
Refuting allegations regarding shortage of coal, Sond clarified that there is no shortage of coal in the thermal power plants owned by the Punjab Government. Punjab has already operationalised the Pachhwara coal mine, ensuring adequate availability of coal for the state’s own power generation facilities, he added. “Punjab has started operations at its Pachhwara coal mine and we now have sufficient coal available. The issue is with the supply of coal to the private thermal power plants, for which Coal India is responsible,” he said.
The Power Minister said the private thermal power plants at Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura are facing issues pertaining to coal supply, which is to be ensured by Coal India. He said Punjab has 10 thermal power generating units, including four units each at Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar and two units at Goindwal Sahib. Besides these, the Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura thermal power plants are being operated by private companies.
 “The technical fault in one of the units has been resolved by our PSPCL officials. Our government and PSPCL are closely monitoring the power situation and taking all necessary measures to ensure reliable electricity supply. Efforts are underway to restore the remaining units of the private thermal power plants at the earliest,” he added.
 Warring flags power cuts in Punjab; Says industry and agriculture affected
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Saturday said that the Aam Aadmi Party had got yet another dubious distinction of pushing Punjab into darkness, literally where there are 12 to 18 hour long power cuts and people have to use candles to light their houses.
In a statement, he said the state’s power crisis had deepened, with farmers struggling to save paddy crops, industries facing restrictions and villages witnessing prolonged power cuts.
Warring said the situation had reached a critical stage as Punjab’s peak electricity demand was around 16,000 MW, while generation was only about 4,000 MW. Despite the state sourcing nearly 11,500 MW of power from outside, he claimed, the gap between demand and availability continued to cause severe disruption.
“Crops nurtured like sons are drying up, while paddy is wilting,” the PCC president said, highlighting the impact of power shortages on agriculture during the crucial paddy-growing season.
He said that farmers were being forced to depend on expensive diesel-powered generators to run irrigation pumps, increasing their input costs at a time when they were already facing mounting agricultural expenses.
The Congress leader also raised concerns over the impact of the crisis on Punjab’s industrial sector, adding industries were being asked to shut down from 8 pm, while power cuts in residential areas had become frequent and even inverters in homes were failing to provide relief because of prolonged outages.