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Ludhiana, June 16: It is a tale revisited every year. Each summer, the city — better known as the Manchester of Punjab — faces the same set of problems. Shortage of power and acute water crisis cripples the movement of this industrial hub of the state, with the condition going from bad to worse with each passing year.
Surprisingly, Punjab State Electricity Board does not have any record of the power consumption of the city. But the volume of energy being pumped into this city can be gauged from the fact that power is being fed to this city by 220 Kv stations located at Hambran, Lalton, Moga, Malerkotla, Jamalpur, Thermal Plant located in Ropar and not to miss the power coming from National Power Grid Station. B S Bath, Chief Engineer , Ludhiana Circle, denies that the city is reeling under power crises but residents allege otherwise. "Under the Congress regime, we had scheduled power cuts. While the Akali Government claimed that there will be no power shortage, we still have to face the cuts. While Congress admitted power shortage, Akalis think that we people are fools," rues former ex-serviceman Avtar Singh, who resides in Gobind Nagar. Adding to this Nirmal Kaur, another resident of the same area, says, "With the blessings of the rain gods, the situation of power has improved drastically. When the temperature was 46 degree Celsius we had to do without power. And with water shortage the woes come to a full circle."
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Er Bath says, "We have just announced a weekly cut on industry which begins on June 10 and this has to be done to divert power to villages for paddy cultivation. We are helpless with the water situation for we have to impose a cut when the load on our system increases, which usually happens when people are at home." LMC Commissioner Vikas Pratap shrugs off as he says, "We can not help it. No power no water. As far as breakdown of tube wells or other such infrastructural problem is concerned we have set up control rooms all over the city."
With such a vicious circle,the people of areas like Issa Nagri, Christian Medical College, Kidwai Nagar, Field Ganj and other congested areas of old city that have to go without water. Sneha Singla, a house wife residing in Kidwai Nagar, says, "The problem with this area is that it is commercial-cum-residential. The power cuts that are imposed here are at par with the industry while residents suffer endlessly. The situation is such that if do not fill up all the possible pots, pans and buckets with water early in the morning say at four or five, forget about even a drop of it later during the day." |