Major Bureaucratic Reshuffle in Punjab Amid Power Crisis: Gurkirat Kirpal Singh Appointed PSPCL Chief

Following widespread protests by industrialists and farmers over unannounced and prolonged power cuts, the Punjab government has ordered a major administrative reshuffle. The state administration has removed Dr. Basant Garg from his post as Administrative Secretary and Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). Principal Secretary Gurkirat Kirpal Singh has been appointed as the new head of the state power utility. As part of the swap, all charges of the Department of Industries previously held by Gurkirat Kirpal Singh have now been assigned to Dr. Basant Garg. While Singh is widely recognized for his administrative efficiency across various government departments, restoring stability to the power sector amid a severe coal shortage at thermal plants will pose a major challenge for the incoming chief. The state's electricity demand has surged by 3,500 MW compared to last year, reaching a peak of 16,000 MW. However, due to an irregular supply of coal, Punjab's domestic power generation was limited to just 6,000 MW, leaving the administration unable to meet the rising demand. The Punjab government has consistently attributed the crisis to inadequate coal allocation from the Central government to the state's thermal power facilities. The top-level leadership change comes amidst mounting public pressure. Farmers have been staging sit-ins across multiple locations due to insufficient power for agricultural fields, while business owners warned of blocking the Ludhiana-Chandigarh highway after power cuts severely disrupted industrial production. Amid the turmoil, Industry Minister Tarunpreet Singh Saund announced in Ludhiana that no power cuts will be enforced starting Tuesday. He assured that farmers will receive 10 hours of daily power supply and confirmed that all units, including private thermal plants, will become fully operational to resolve the crisis for industries.