Police use water cannon at Punjab Congress power protest
Patiala, Sep 14 (PTI) Police detained many Congress workers, including leaders, and used water cannons on them when they gathered outside the power corporation headquarters on Monday here to protest the lack of uninterrupted power supply to farmers, domestic consumers and industries, party workers said.
They said a minor scuffle took place between police personnel and Congress workers during the protest. Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring led the protest and accused the AAP government of failing to ensure adequate and uninterrupted power supply in the state.
Congress MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi and others addressed the protest.
Police deployed a large contingent around the headquarters of the power utility, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, and erected barricades to stop protesters from advancing toward the premises.
When some Congress workers attempted to cross the barricades, police stopped them and used water cannons to disperse them. Police detained many party leaders, including Warring, Congress workers said.
Addressing the protesters, Warring criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, and alleged that the AAP government's promises and claims were "hollow assurances".
He alleged that the government promised uninterrupted power supply and eight hours of electricity daily to agricultural tubewells, but farmers are now struggling to get adequate power during the paddy season.
"Neither are the fields getting adequate power nor are households and industries receiving uninterrupted supply," Warring alleged. He said farmers were being forced to spend heavily on diesel to run generators to save their crops.
The Congress leader said prolonged and unannounced power cuts in rural and urban areas have added to people's woes amid the heat. Warring claimed the power crisis was affecting the industrial sector, with electricity cuts during the peak summer period disrupting production and putting additional pressure on businesses.
Congress leaders and workers from several districts participated in the demonstration and raised slogans against the state government. They demanded immediate steps to restore adequate and uninterrupted electricity supply across the state.
