As the paddy transplantation kicks off from Tuesday, the Punjab State Power Corporation limited (PSPCl) has been directed to ensure eight hours continuous supply to the agriculture sector.
Besides, the State power utility has been asked to ensure 24-hour supply to the industrial and domestic sectors from Tuesday onwards. The directions were issued by the State Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal while presiding over a meeting of senior officials of the PSPCl including its chairman-cim-managing director KD Chaudhri, power secretary Anirudh Tewari and chief engineers of all zones in the State.
Sukhbir said he wanted the Power department to work towards realising the goal of ensuring assured and continuous eight-hour power supply to the agriculture sector during the entire period of the paddy season and there should also not be any cut on the industry and domestic sectors.
The power secretary maintained that the PSPCl would work on this mandate from Tuesday only, and the “State would witness a cut only due to some unforeseen exigency.”All chief engineers present at the meeting also committed themselves to meeting this mandate, following which Sukhbir said that the performance of the CE’s would be monitored on a daily basis.“Officers will be graded as per their performance during the next five months”, he added
Meanwhile, briefing the Deputy CM on the plan for the paddy season, PSPCl CMD said that farmers would receive eight hours power supply for four days during the day and for the same number of days during the night alternatively.
In another major decision, Sukhbir directed the PSPCl to establish a helpline service not later than July 15 on the same pattern of the hugely successful 181 helpline which is being run by the Punjab Police.
“There are complaints that PSPCl staff, deputed to deal with the public and answer calls regarding power disruption, are not responding in a professional manner. Similarly, consumers are not being given information about cuts so that they could plan accordingly,” he pointed.
Sukhbir also ordered the officials to ensure a central command to check the response system, besides informing the people in advance if there would be any power cut for which, local cable network and vernacular newspapers may be used.