Ludhiana: Two months on, over 9,000 plot owners await power connection
A senior PSPCL official says that in the span of mere three months, from December to March, the corporation has released 13,216 new electricity connections across Ludhiana
Despite the government’s nod to grant electricity connections to small plot holders in newly regularised colonies, thousands of residents in Ludhiana continue to wait for power connections even two months after the official deadline. The delay has raised concerns as the city braces for an intense summer season, and residents, despite meeting all formalities, are still without a stable power supply.
According to officials, the power utility is currently dealing with a massive backlog of over 9,500 pending applications for new connections across three major divisions, including Focal Point, Aggar Nagar and Sunder Nagar. Officials asserted that Focal Point division alone has more than 4,000 pending requests, followed by Aggar Nagar (over 3,000) and Sunder Nagar with 2,500 requests pending.
Notably, the backlog comes in the wake of a state government notification issued on November 25, 2024. As per the amendment under Section 20 (5) of The Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act (PAPRA), 1995, plot holders in unauthorised colonies with up to 500 square yards, were allowed to register their plots without obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the department of housing and urban development or the department of local government. This window was open from December 1, 2024, to February 28, 2025.
Following this, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) issued directions dated December 4, permitting the release of electricity connections to those who had registered their plots under the said notification.
However, officials on the ground say the sheer volume of applications received during this period overwhelmed the power utility’s capacity. “We receive barely 200 applications a month for new connections. But after the NOC waiver, thousands of small plot holders applied within a short span, overwhelming our system. While we are working to release these connections at the earliest, clearing such a large backlog is taking time,” said Amrinder Singh, XEN, Focal Point division.
Meanwhile, consumers who completed their registration and submitted all required documents as early as January or February have expressed growing frustration. “We were assured the connections would be released quickly, but it’s been months and we’re still waiting. It’s difficult to manage without a stable power supply, especially with summer approaching,” said Kamalpreet Singh, a local applicant.
A senior PSPCL official acknowledged the delay, attributing it to an overwhelming surge in applications and limited manpower. He further added that in the span of mere three months, from December to March, the corporation has released 13,216 new electricity connections across Ludhiana. This included 4,179 connections in the Focal Point division, 3,521 in Sunder Nagar, and 2,433 in Aggar Nagar. However, the demand has far outpaced expectations, largely due to the NOC waiver granted to small plot holders under the new policy.
“To manage the surge, we’ve deployed outsourced and contractual workers and asked regular technical staff to work in tandem with them. Equipment like smart meters and installation tools have also been mobilised from other divisions to fast-track the process,” the official added.
