Power pangs

IN the election year, the buzzword across Punjab is power — political as well as electrical. The Congress government is struggling to provide eight-hour uninterrupted supply to farmers, a make-or-break vote bank, during the paddy transplantation season, even as Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has announced up to 300 units of free electricity if the Aam Aadmi Party comes to power in the state. A month ago, the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission had reduced the tariff for domestic consumers with monthly consumption of less than 300 units by up to 20 per cent, a move that was aimed at wooing around 70 lakh users. Amid this competitive politics, the irony is not lost on anyone: though the state is ‘power-surplus’, both urban and rural areas are facing long, unscheduled cuts. The peak summer, coupled with a delayed monsoon, has pushed the maximum power demand in the state to over 14,500 MW, which is about 1,500 MW higher than what the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited is supplying.

It’s a no-brainer that the grid load capacity should have been enhanced well before the onset of summer; the failure to do the needful is taking its toll on various sections of consumers. Among the worst sufferers is the industrial sector, which is desperately trying to make a recovery after the crippling second wave of the Covid pandemic. The two weekly offs are hampering the industry’s efforts to resume normal operations.

Subsidised electricity is costing Punjab over Rs 10,000 crore annually, even as flawed power purchase agreements are also bleeding the state’s coffers. Successive governments have been reluctant to rationalise subsidies due to fear of a backlash, particularly from the farming community. Strict action to deter power theft and injudicious use of electricity has also been lacking. These issues can’t be resolved overnight, but what’s missing is the political will to address them. The least that can be done now is to ensure regular power supply across the state, besides lowering the tariff even when no elections are around the corner.