Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today directed the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to ensure eight hours continuous power supply to the agriculture sector besides 24 hours supply to the industrial and domestic sectors from tomorrow onwards.Presiding over a meeting of senior officials of the PSPCL including its Chairman K D Chaudhari, Power Secretary Anirudh Tewari and chief engineers of all zones in the State, the Deputy CM said he wanted the Power department to work towards realizing the goal of ensuring assured and continuous eight hour power supply to the agriculture sector during the entire period of the paddy season. He said there should also not be any cut on the industry and domestic sectors.Briefing the Deputy CM on the issue, Power Secretary Anirudh Tewari said all the efforts of the Power department over the years had borne fruit and that finally the system had been created to make this direction a reality. He said PSPCL would work on this mandate from tomorrow only, adding 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 Mr Sukhbir Badal said 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 Chairman K D Chaudhari said 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, Mr Badal directed the PSPCL to establish a helpline service not later than July 15 on the same pattern of the hugely successful 181 helpline being run by the Punjab Police. He said there were complaints that PSPCL staff deputed to deal with the public and answer calls regarding power disruption were not responding in a professional manner. He said similarly consumers were not being given information about cuts so that they could plan accordingly. He 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. He said that local cable network and vernacular newspapers may be used to convey the message in this case.