Chandigarh, Sept 14: In a significant administrative move amid widespread power shortages across the state, the Punjab Government has transferred Dr. Basant Garg from his post as Administrative Secretary and Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. Senior bureaucrat Gurkirat Kirpal Singh has been assigned the leadership of the state power utility, taking over the portfolio during a period marked by elevated electricity demand and fuel constraints affecting thermal generation units. Under the fresh reassignment orders, Dr. Basant Garg will assume the charges of the Industry Department previously overseen by Gurkirat Kirpal Singh.
The administrative restructuring follows continuous operational pressures on the state grid, where peak power demand surged significantly compared to previous periods, reaching nearly 16,000 MW against constrained generation capacities. State authorities maintained that ongoing supply disruptions stemmed primarily from inadequate coal deliveries to thermal generation plants. Meanwhile, Industry Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sondh assured domestic, agricultural, and industrial consumers that power availability would stabilize, confirming that all primary thermal power stations have resumed normal generation to meet mandated supply schedules.
