The Industrial Associations have objected to this move because as per the version of various industrial bodies, they were told the power situation would ease once temperature increased. Because the domestic demand would reduce after heaters and heat convectors were switched off.

“However the opposite has has happened and now when the heaters are almost off, industry has been told to observe two weekly offs,” said Charanjit Singh Vishivkarma, president of United Cycles Parts and Manufacturers’ Association, while talking to Newsline. Meanwhile, now the PSEB’s plea is that more water is again being given to farm sector and because of no rains they have shifted more load to tubewells and hence domestic and industrial sector would again have to bear with long power cuts.

Apart from two weekly offs, PSEB is imposing nearly five hours’ power cuts in the city these days which are spread from 7 a.m to 4 p.m. Narinder Singh, a resident of Shaheed Karnail Singh Nagar, said, “Apart from this, even long maintainence cuts are also imposed without prior intimation and out of nine hours in the morning time when consumers need electricity the most for their works, PSEB gives no power for five hours. Our major work is done on generators alone.”

Meanwhile PSEB has not indicated any respite from the power cuts as of now, because the power purchase this year is less by Rs 5 crores per day as compared to last year and hence there is no option but to impose power cuts, revealed PSEB sources.