Punjab Power Crisis: Warring claims 12-18 hour cuts, paddy crops wilting and industry hit
Babushahi Bureau
Ludhiana (Punjab), September 12, 2026: Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Saturday accused the Aam Aadmi Party government of pushing the state into an acute power crisis, claiming that several cities and villages were facing electricity cuts lasting up to 12–18 hours.
Warring said the prolonged outages had affected households, agriculture and industry, with people in some areas forced to use candles to light their homes.
He claimed Punjab’s peak electricity demand had reached around 16,000 MW, while the state was generating only about 4,000 MW. Although nearly 11,500 MW was being sourced from outside, he said, the gap between demand and availability was still resulting in severe power disruptions.
“Crops nurtured like sons are drying up, while paddy is wilting,” the Punjab Congress chief said, highlighting the impact of power shortages during the crucial paddy-growing season.
Warring said farmers were being forced to use diesel-powered generators to operate irrigation pumps, increasing their input costs. He said the prolonged power cuts were particularly worrying in rural areas, where uninterrupted electricity was needed to run tubewells and protect standing paddy crops.
The Congress leader also alleged that the power crisis was affecting Punjab’s industrial sector, with industries being asked to shut operations from 8 pm. He said frequent outages in residential areas had also become a major problem, with even inverters running out of backup during prolonged cuts.
Warring further claimed that one unit each at the Rajpura and Talwandi Sabo thermal power plants was currently shut, further limiting the state’s power generation capacity.
According to him, the Rajpura thermal plant had around seven days of coal stock, while Talwandi Sabo had approximately four days of coal remaining.
The Punjab Congress president alleged that the Bhagwant Mann government had failed to adequately prepare for the seasonal rise in electricity demand. He demanded immediate measures to ensure reliable power supply to farmers, industries and households.
Warring also took a dig at the AAP government, saying it had earned another “dubious distinction” by pushing Punjab “into darkness, literally.”