Amid extended power cuts, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) senior leader and former MLA N K Sharma joined hundreds of residents, various councillors and traders to lash out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government to unannounced power cuts, saying those who promised free power are today depriving Punjab of power itself.
He warned the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) and the state administration that a dharna will be staged at 10 am on Monday, 16 June, outside the PSPCL executive engineer’s office in Zirakpur to mark the protest.
Sharma said that the AAP government has “ruined” Punjab’s electricity grid by ignoring upgrades, fresh recruitment and routine maintenance, leading to daily unannounced outages across Zirakpur. “During the Akali-BJP tenure we strengthened the electricity infrastructure and made Punjab a surplus-power state,” he claimed.
The former legislator reminded officials that, while in office, he had secured land for new substations at Bhabaat, Dhakoli, Ramgarh Bhudda and Baltana, yet “this government has done nothing except make hollow promises of free power”.
On Friday and Saturday evening, women from Shiva Enclave, Bhabaat, expressed their frustration by sagging overhead lines and surprise shutdowns and sat on the road in protest, blocking traffic for hours. If immediate action is not taken, we will shift the protest to the main highway, and the administration will be responsible, they warned.
In G-Block, Aerocity—part of GMADA’s “Singapore-style” smart township, environmentalist Arshleen Ahluwalia reported prolonged low-voltage spells, calling them “repeated proof of PSPCL’s failure.” Residents’ association president Kuldeep Singh said power vanished for up to 72 hours several times in the past three months; on 12 June the entire block suffered an eight-hour outage, followed by fresh unannounced cuts. Fellow resident N K Aluna added that ensuring electricity in this searing heat should be the government’s top priority.
Showroom owners in Phase 10 and Phase 7 complained that erratic supply is crippling business. “One phase trips here, another trips there. One shop has light, the next is dark. Linemen neither arrive for hours nor answer calls,” they said.
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Social activist Paramjit Kahlon highlighted voltage fluctuations in Phase 7 that have damaged ACs, refrigerators and TVs. “It’s pathetic,” he noted. “There are only two linemen for the whole area; without more staff PSPCL cannot resolve problems on time. Immediate recruitment is essential.”
According to Sharma, the AAP government is now “trying to intimidate villagers through PSPCL raids”. He vowed that the Akali Dal’s agitation will continue “until power cuts are stopped, the network is upgraded and adequate staff is hired”.
The prolonged crisis, he said, has made life miserable from Zirakpur to Aerocity and Mohali, turning power-surplus Punjab into “the state of blackouts.” The 16 June demonstration, he added, “could be the government’s litmus test.”
