Hoshiarpur/Daljeet Ajnoha/Sept 12 — Widespread, prolonged electricity outages have triggered an economic crisis across Punjab, with former cabinet minister and senior BJP leader Tikshan Sood warning that recent 10-hour power cuts for industry will further cripple a state already reeling from industrial flight and mounting unemployment.
Sood’s sharp critique of AAP government’s power policy
Speaking on the Punjab government’s imposition of 10-hour scheduled cuts for industrial consumers, Sood said the state, which has already suffered economically as industries shift to other states, will see its industrial base deteriorate further under these measures. He stressed that the fallout will not be limited to factory owners but will hit the large workforce employed in these units, including workers and labourers.
Sood blamed the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government for “sinking Powercom” by purchasing loss-making thermal plants and claimed that promises of securing coal directly from mines have proved as hollow as “Sheikh Chilli’s tales”. With extreme heat and humidity disrupting daily life, he said farmers, shopkeepers, industrialists, students and homemakers are all suffering, and even beneficiaries of “free electricity” schemes are gaining no real advantage as supply remains unreliable.
“The shortage of power has ruined Punjab’s entire economic situation and stunted its progress, yet the state government is not even listening,” Sood said, warning that if no immediate solution is found, people will take to the streets to protest against the government.
Context: deepening power crisis in Punjab
Recent reports indicate Punjab is facing a severe power shortfall, with demand touching around 16,000 MW against in-state generation of roughly 4,200–4,700 MW, forcing heavy dependence on costly power purchases. Coal shortages and technical issues have cut thermal generation by about 1,500 MW, with key plants at Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo operating at reduced capacity.
Industrial hubs such as Ludhiana, Mandi Gobindgarh, Khanna and Mohali have reported frequent unscheduled outages, damaging machinery, wasting raw material and pushing up operating costs, with some units considering relocation. Farmers, too, have faced inadequate and erratic supply for paddy and other crops, compounding agrarian distress.
Engineers’ bodies have urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to urgently augment in-state generation capacity, warning of a projected revenue shortfall of about ₹7,800 crore for PSPCL and recurring summer crises unless firm, round-the-clock base-load power is secured.
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