Scanty monsoon, frequent power cuts makes life miserable in Haryana

Vinod Kumar Gupta

Publication Date 11/8/2009

Chandigarh: Scanty monsoon, frequent power cuts and erratic power and water supply have made life miserable for people in Haryana.The power demand has increased and so are the power cuts especially for the last ten days. Four or five power cuts of one hour or even longer durations are now being considered normal in district headquarters. In Kurukshetra the daily power cut exceeds 10 hors while in villages they get power for 6 hours.
The situation in rural areas is even worse. Not a single day passes when villagers do not hold demonstration or block a road at one place or the other. The road blockade in villages of Kaithal, Kurukshetra Shahbad Markanda and Ladwa is a routine. The water supply in cities and villages is the major casualty of power cuts, as tube wells do not run without power. According to official sources the power demand in state on Monday was 1270 lakh units against supply of 1160 lakh units. The power shortage during peak hours is 503 MW whereas during non-peak hours it is 407 MW. The states thermal plants are producing 369 lakh units daily. In the adjoining Punjab the power position is still worse. The power shortage of more than 417 lakh units has crippled the industrial life. The power supply is 1542 lakh units against demand of 1959 lakh units. The peak load shortage is 1491 MW. The thermal generation in Punjab is 566 lakh units and hydro generation is 148 lakh units.