Storm batters Mohali: Power out for over 36 hours in several sectors, water supply hit

The residents said they were facing hardship and questioned the administration’s preparedness. “If PSPCL is charging heavy electricity bills, it must ensure adequate staff and infrastructure,” they said.

On condition of anonymity, PSPCL officials admitted that the local division has staff only for minor repairs such as fuse replacement.

“For major faults, teams have to be called from Patiala. That is why repair work could not even begin despite so many hours having passed,” an official said.

Sanjeevan Singh questioned whether such delays were pushing the system towards privatisation. “If there is no staff during emergencies, what justification is there for such high electricity bills?” he asked.

Inverters fail, internet down

Due to the prolonged outage, inverters in many homes stopped working, mobile phones could not be charged, and internet services were disrupted. Residents alleged that despite repeated calls to PSPCL complaint numbers, no calls were answered, and no repair teams arrived on site.

The power outage also affected the water supply, raising concerns that the situation could worsen if tubewells and booster pumping stations remained non-functional.

Water Supply Department’s explanation

Responding to the crisis, Michael, Executive Engineer, Water Supply Department, said that water supply in Sectors 64 and 65 (Phases 10 and 11) was affected due to the power failure.

He further said faults had occurred in GMADA (Greater Mohali Area Development Authority) power lines at several locations.

Michael added that the booster plant generator in Phase 10 was also found faulty, but was being repaired, and the water supply would be restored shortly.

Meanwhile, the situation worsened further after two motors burned out at the Phase-6 Water Treatment Plant. On Saturday, some areas may receive water at low pressure, the official said.

He also said that rainfall caused a power fault in the Kajauli Water Supply Scheme, leaving storage tanks empty till Friday evening. Water supply is expected to resume from Saturday morning.

Michael clarified that the Sector 56 and 57 Water Treatment Plant had been fully restored after a fallen tree was removed from a transformer.

Work is underway in Sector 71, while Phase 10 and Phase 11 may face temporary issues till Saturday evening, after which supply is expected to normalise.

Regarding the issue, when contacted, Mayor Amarjit Singh ‘Jeeti’ Sidhu, also a councillor from Sector 61, said that when he spoke to officials of PSPCL, they informed him that they were facing a shortage of staff in the area to handle electricity poles and large trees. He was told that teams had been dispatched from Patiala and would arrive shortly to carry out the required work.

Raising serious questions against the government, the mayor said that when the electricity board sells power at such high rates, and the city is expanding with new offices being opened and new subdivisions being created, there should be no shortage of staff. He alleged that the government has failed on this front and that there is absolutely no attention being paid to this issue.

He further stated that calling teams from Patiala due to staff shortages in a major city like Mohali is extremely unfortunate, and said that the responsibility for this situation lies entirely with the government.

Questioning the preparedness of the system, Mayor Sidhu said, “If people in a city like Mohali are forced to live without electricity for three consecutive days, if broken electricity poles are neither erected nor repaired in time, then God alone can save the rural areas.”

Power Department’s stand

PSPCL SDO (Technical) Amanpreet Singh said that fallen trees and damaged wires in Phases 1 to 6 had been cleared, and power supply there was restored.

However, under Technical-2 Division, a large number of electricity poles were damaged in Phases 10, 11 and Sector 71, delaying restoration work. “With clear weather today, teams are working at full pace and supply will be restored soon,” he said.

Amandeep Singh, Executive Engineer, Power Supply Department, added that multiple teams were deployed across the city, and power supply in Sectors 64 and 65 would also be restored shortly.

Union blames acute staff shortage

PSPCL Workers’ Union President Lakha Singh said the root cause of the crisis was a severe shortage of staff.

He revealed that out of 364 sanctioned lineman posts in the Mohali circle, around 244 are lying vacant. “Nearly 40 per cent of the working staff is missing, and consumers are bearing the brunt,” he said, demanding immediate regular recruitment by the government.

Deputy commissioner assures quick restoration

Deputy Commissioner (DC) Komal Mittal said that five areas of Mohali suffered major damage due to the storm. Teams from PSPCL, Mohali Municipal Corporation and Forest Department are jointly engaged in clearing fallen trees and restoring electricity.

She expressed hope that the power supply would be restored within the next few hours.

On the issue of tree pruning, the DC said that the administration is conducting assessments of weak and dangerous trees and is in the process of obtaining a legal opinion. “Once the required permissions are obtained, hazardous trees will be removed to prevent loss of life and property in future,” she said.