Punjab Newsline | Amritsar
A major controversy has erupted in Punjab after the state power utility, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), imposed power cuts of 8 to 10 hours for five consecutive days. In Amritsar, frustrated residents broke into a power substation late at night, damaged the main gate, and forcibly restored electricity supply themselves.
According to officials, employees tried to stop the crowd but were pushed and manhandled. Staff members stated that the power cuts were implemented on the instructions of senior authorities, but the protesters refused to listen and tampered with the feeder lines to resume supply.
On-duty employee Surinder Singh said that around 20 to 25 people entered the substation late at night. “They pushed staff, abused us, and even issued death threats,” he said. Following the incident, the local police from Kambo station have launched an investigation.
Amid rising tensions over the outages, Punjab Power Minister Sanjeev Arora addressed the issue on social media platform X. He stated that the scheduled power cuts were part of a system upgrade aimed at improving electricity supply. While expressing regret over the inconvenience, he assured that these measures would benefit consumers in the long run.