Overview
- PSPCL issued an order Thursday that limits planned maintenance cuts to four hours per day.
- The order requires an assistant engineer to supervise each shutdown, with materials arranged in advance and completion reports filed by noon the next day.
- The reversal follows a published plan for 8–10 hour daily cuts from April 21–26 across cities including Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Bathinda and Mohali to upgrade a ₹5,000 crore distribution network.
- The cuts landed during a heatwave as peak demand hit 10,105 MW on Wednesday, drawing heavy public complaints and an alleged forcible entry at an Amritsar substation.
- Opposition parties accused the AAP government of mismanagement, while industry and farm groups warned that paddy-season irrigation could push summer demand beyond 17,000 MW.