Power pangs, water woes haunt Mohali in peak summer

A day after rainstorm hit the Tricity, residents claimed that outages continue to make life miserable for them in peak summer. Several areas of Mohali, Zirakpur, Nayagaon and Kharar witnessed erratic power and water supply.

Snapped power cables, unannounced power cuts and shortage of staff to address the outages continued to create trouble for people. In Sectors 76 to 80, 3B1, TDI, Phase 7, and other areas, people faced complete darkness for 12 to 14 hours.

Deputy Mayor Kuljit Singh Bedi said a major reason behind these outages was the severe shortage of staff, lack of adequate infrastructure, and insufficient machinery.

“Senior citizens, ill patients who rely on concentrators, nebulisers and other medical devices are facing tough situations,” he said, adding, “Temporary employees are risking their lives climbing electric poles for a mere 10–12 thousand rupees salary – and that too without proper safety equipment.”

The power cuts also had a severe impact on water supply. Sectors 117, 118, 74A, Phase 3B2 and several other major areas of Mohali are facing a serious water crisis because water boosters have stopped functioning due to power failure.

Nearly 2 lakh residents living under the Nayagaon Municipal Committee, which includes NayaGaon, Kansal, Nada and Karoran, are facing an acute electricity and water crisis for the past five to six days. In several parts of all 21 municipal wards, there has been no power and water supply for days. Areas like Adarsh Nagar, Dashmesh Nagar, Kumaon Colony, Janata Colony, Shivalik Vihar, and Gobind Nagar are suffering, said Senior Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab leader and President of the Naya Gaon Ghar Bachao Manch, Vineet Joshi.

The Kansal area has been facing frequent outages of electricity and water for days.

Residents said they have been unable to even register complaints. On visiting senior officers, the public is informed that only two linemen/electricians have been assigned for the entire field area, who are doing whatever is possible within their limited capacity.

Regarding water supply, Joshi complained that there are 29 tubewells in Nayagaon, but no sufficient staff to operate them. In reality, one operator is being made to handle five tubewells, resulting in poor or no water supply.

In Zirakpur, power supply was restored late afternoon after a fallen tree snapped power lines. Green Enclave, Pabhat, residents raised slogans against Zirakpur MC and PSPCL after a 20-hour power and water cut.

Chandigarh