Punjab to ensure 8 hrs of uninterrupted power for agri sector

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today directed power utility to ensure eight hours of uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture sector in the forthcoming paddy season.
The Punjab government is gearing up to ensure foolproof arrangements for a smooth and hassle-free paddy season.
Reviewing the power situation for the season here, the chief minister asked Secretary Power A Venu Prasad to also ensure time-bound redressal of power related complaints of the farmers and other consumers through a 24x7 mechanism with adequate manpower.
The secretary said the department had, for effective redressal of complaints during the summer/paddy season, deployed additional outsourced labour, with 2,000 people having been hired on temporary basis, from June 1 to September 30.

Other material such as transformer, PVC wire had also been arranged to meet the farmers/ requirement, he said, according to an official release.
The single-window complaint number has also been strengthened to ensure that the farmers do not face any delay in redressal of their complaints and grievances, he informed the chief minister.

Amarinder also reviewed the status of power demand in the state and was informed by the secretary that the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) had tied up sufficient power in short-term open access from other states to source the power demand for the forthcoming paddy season.

Coupled with in-house generation capacity, the additional power would be sufficient to meet the demand expected to arise during the paddy season, he told the chief minister.
The total available capacity as on June 1, 2017, is 13,960 MW, including Central Sector allocation and IPPs (Independent Power Producers) within Punjab. The state has strong and robust transmission and sub transmission systems to cater to the expected demand of 12,500 MW, with 89.39 lakh consumers in all categories, the release said.
With 13.50 lakh operational agriculture tubewells this year, the state recorded metered sale of 1,800 lakh unit per day in the month of May against the average 1,600 lakh unit due to an increase of 10 per cent in demand in industrial and domestic sectors.