Punjab & Power

        Punjab State from past one and half decade struggling to meet with increasing demand of power, thus instead of increasing power generation choose the path of load shedding. Residents of Punjab experiencing this practice in summer season but because of big gap between demand and supply now even in winter season they have to live with power failure when demand dips to all time low during year. Despite assurances from Punjab government that they are expanding and erecting new power plants and coming years will make Punjab state as surplus of power and when the coming year will come Punjab residents are waiting anxiously in anticipation of history for load shedding.
        In today’s era even to think of life without power is a cruel joke as human life is much more depend on power than ever. Not only score of business totally run on power but also in house kitchen devices, entertainment equipments and today’s necessity electronics instruments are power hungry, so as per requirement people install alternative of power like generators, invertors or solar systems but it is the hard fact that these devices increase their electricity costs almost to double as not only people have to spent money on these devices to run plus also pay the bills of electricity. Adding insult to injury Punjab government keep on increasing the power tariffs on an average six to eight months period without giving non stop power to the customers.
        Question rises here what are the main cause that state government is unable to give power to the public, if it is short of money or there are some other reasons. Below are some points which are main reasons of power shortage in the state-

• Government is giving subsidies to the weaker section of society, but in return not paying back the money to the electricity department thus department is bearing the cost on subsidy at its own and incurring losses.
• Government is passing on free power to the farmers, as per its view farmers are feeding the country but because of increase in the input cost of agriculture now profits are shrinking, that is why farmers are looking other business, so to remain attach farmers with agriculture need assistance from government.
• In the state people are constructing new houses’, new offices’, shopping malls and there power source is state electricity department, which despite shortage of generation of power and lack of strict law on every passing day burden is increasing on energy department.
• In the villages its common practice of power thefts, power department should get more authority, strict law and heavy punishment to the customers who theft power, so that they think lot of time to use electricity illegally.

Until and unless new power plants start working below coded steps can be taken to minimise the load shedding-

• All government offices, new houses’ built in Punjab must use CFL bulbs and failure of not using CFL bulbs should be punish heavily.
• New construction should make it mandatory to have at least half of there power requirement generates through other then electricity department.
• Government offices’ timings must be change in winter and summer season so that electricity can be save consume by them.

As now quietly from few days unscheduled and undeclared power cuts started and it is declared that state government is giving power back to the states from whom it has taken during summer season as it was taken on banking system, so until and unless new power plants not operational in the state people have to live with power cuts whether it is summer or winter.