Punjab’s promise of being “power surplus” has collapsed into a grim reality — several districts across the state are reeling under 12‑hour daily power cuts. From Ludhiana to Amritsar, Bathinda to Mohali, households and businesses are being forced into endless hours of darkness at the peak of summer. With temperatures soaring past 42°C, families are left to sweat through sleepless nights and sweltering days without even the basic relief of electricity. The government’s bold assurances of “no cuts” now stand exposed as “hollow”, as the crisis deepens into a lived misery for millions.
Power Surplus or Statistical Illusion?
By the government’s own repeated claims, Punjab is a “power surplus” state, with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) reporting a total availability of approximately 14,500 MW. At 12:33 PM on Tuesday, the Punjab State Load Dispatch Center recorded the state’s total demand at 14,381 MW. On paper, that leaves a margin of 119 MW — enough to cover the load. And yet, despite this apparent surplus, households across Punjab are being subjected to hour‑long power cuts. The contradiction is glaring: if availability truly exceeds demand, why are families sweating through outages? The only logical conclusion is that either the system is incapable of delivering what it claims or the numbers being flaunted are misleading. The truth is stark: Punjab’s people are being denied electricity even when the figures show it should be available — or worse, the figures themselves are “fake”. What was promised as surplus has collapsed into sleepless nights, sweltering afternoons and a crisis that mocks both governance and accountability.
Outrage Mounts Over Power Cuts Across Punjab
Meanwhile, residents across Punjab expressed their extreme anger over the crippling hour-long power cuts, saying the promise of uninterrupted supply has collapsed into sleepless nights and sweltering afternoons. “We were promised a power surplus but what we got is twelve hours of darkness every day. Surplus exists only on paper, not in our homes,” remarked Ramandeep Singh of Ludhiana. Stating that governance has failed and the people are paying the price, Jatinder Kaur of Model Town, Patiala said, “The government says 14,500 MW is available, yet we sit without fans in 42°C heat. Either the system is broken or the numbers are fake.” Echoing similar sentiments, Sushil Kumar of Jalandhar added, “Our children cannot sleep, our elders cannot breathe easy – these cuts are not just inconvenience, they are cruelty.” In a nutshell, the majority of Punjab’s residents declared that they do not want excuses; they want electricity and if surplus is real, then why are they sweating in darkness?
Farmers Too Reel Under Power Shortage
With paddy sowing underway across Punjab, even farmers are reeling under the brunt of prolonged power cuts. “The Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann himself had assured that eight hours of uninterrupted supply would be given to the farm sector but all these claims have proved hollow as we are not even getting four hours,” said Harmanbir Singh, a farmer from Hoshiarpur. Hoshiarpur is not an isolated case. Out of Punjab’s 23 districts, dozens are facing the acute problem of broken assurances, with farmers struggling to secure the promised eight‑hour supply. The situation has left cultivators anxious and angry, as the lifeline of agriculture – electricity for irrigation – has collapsed into uncertainty.
Forewarned, Yet Unprepared
Interestingly, data from the Northern Regional Load Despatch Centre (NRLDC) shows that on June 9 last year, Punjab’s maximum power demand touched 15,481 MW. The government was fully aware of this rising demand, yet no effort was made to augment the state’s power capacity. This reflects nothing less than an abject failure of governance.
Power Cuts Rewrite Household Choices
With prolonged power cuts stretching through the day, even household inverters have begun to fail, unable to sustain beyond their limited battery capacity. Consequently, residents who once relied on inverters are now turning to generators. In the domestic sector, large silent gensets were never considered essential, as inverters had long been the preferred choice. But the relentless outages have rewritten that reality. Families are increasingly opting for compact fuel‑based gensets that run quietly and can operate for extended hours, offering a lifeline where the promise of uninterrupted power has collapsed.
AAP Turned Surplus Punjab into Deficit State: Warring
Speaking to The News Gateway, president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that AAP government has achieved another dubious distinction of turning a “power surplus” state like Punjab into a “power deficit” state. He further said, “Successive governments in the state before AAP had added to the power generation capacity. Our Congress government in particular would purchase power from the central grid to ensure round the corner power supply. During the Congress regime, immediately before the AAP, people had forgotten about power cuts, even for a moment. Now under the AAP regime, marathon power cuts running into hours and hours are the new norm. Situation is likely to deteriorate further as the paddy sowing season has started.
State Transformed From Power Surplus To Generator-Driven: Vineet Joshi
State Media Head for BJP Punjab, Vineet Hoshi, while talking to The News Gateway, slammed the government’s handling of the crisis, calling the manner in which power cuts are being imposed is a glaring example of how the present dispensation disregards the people of Punjab. “The Punjab government ministers sit comfortably in air‑conditioned rooms in Chandigarh, where electricity flows 24×7, while ordinary citizens across Punjab are left to suffer in the scorching heat.” said Joshi, while adding that in the last four years, the only achievement of the Bhagwant Mann‑led government has been to transform Punjab from a power‑surplus state into a generator‑driven state.
Power Cuts Expose Hollow Claims of AAP: Cheema
Former Punjab Minister Dr. Daljit Singh Cheema, while speaking to The News Gateway, said, “Political interference in the PSPCL, failing to augment Punjab’s power generation capacity and wasting crores on false advertisement campaigns aptly sums up the entire story of bleak power scenario in Punjab. The entire state government comfortably sits in Punjab under Air Conditions, whereas the common Punjab’s are struggling due to power cuts at a time when state is reeling under a severe heat wave.”
Romana Blasts AAP Government, Says Punjab Pushed into Darkness by Power Cuts
Speaking to The News Gateway, SAD Senior Vice-President and Core Committee member Parambans Romana stated, “For nearly nine years, successive Punjab governments have repeatedly claimed that the Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) undertaken during our tenure for setting up Independent Power Plants (IPPs) at Talwandi Sabo, Rajpura and Goindwal Sahib would be cancelled. The reality, however, is that these very IPPs have safeguarded Punjab from an unimaginable power crisis. Had our government not established these plants, the entire state today would be reeling under an unprecedented power shortage. Moreover, the present government has even failed to present a White Paper on the IPPs to highlight any irregularities—because they cannot, as every step was carried out in a transparent and accountable manner.”
Silence From PSPCL Amid Growing Public Anger
Despite repeated attempts, PSPCL CMD Dr. Basant Garg was not available for comments. In fact, no other officer of the PSPCL was ready to speak on the issue. The News Gateway tried reaching out to several senior officials of the Punjab Government and PSPCL but all of them refused to comment.
(The author is the Editor of the website www.thenewsgateway.com.)
