Amarinder asks PSPCL to ensure 8-hour power supply to farmers

Chandigarh, June 25

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday directed PSPCL to ensure at least eight hours of uninterrupted power supply to farmers, and purchase deficient power from outside the state “at any cost” to prevent any supply disruption in the ongoing sowing season.

Chairing a high-level meeting to review the power supply to the farmers during the ongoing kharif season, the chief minister also directed the finance department to release Rs 500 crore to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to tide over the financial crunch faced amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who was present at the meeting, assured that his department would release these funds without delay, according to an official statement.

Notably, during the past few days, the farmers at various places have staged dharnas outside the power grid stations claiming they were not getting eight-hour supply in the paddy sowing season as had been assured.

PSPCL officials have earlier said it was facing a severe financial crunch as a result of slowdown in consumption and revenue collection in the past one year due to the pandemic crisis.

Reiterating his government’s commitment to providing continuous eight-hour supply to farmers in Punjab for sowing their crops, the chief minister directed PSPCL to purchase deficient power, if needed, from outside the state “at any cost”, to meet the government’s commitment to the farmers.

There should be no disruption of power supply to the farmers, he added. PTI