Power supply to sewa kendras in Muktsar, Fazilka disconnected

MUKTSAR:DUE to non-payment of bills, the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) has disconnected power supply to several sewa kendras in Muktsar and Fazilka districts.

HT toured various villages in these districts and found that power to many sewa kendras has been disconnected and the operators were doing their work with the help of a generator. Sewa kendras offer 67 services such as renewal of driving licence, payments of bills and issuance of certificates at nominal charges.

Additional district manager (ADM) for BLS, the company that runs these kendras, Sukhchain Singh, said, “In Muktsar district, power supply to 13 sewa kendras has been suspended. We are managing work by using generators.”

Fazilka in-charge of BLS, Jaspal Singh, said, “In Fazilka, power supply to seven sewa kendras has been disconnected. We are dependent on generators.” He added, “Sewa kendras in cities are generating enough revenue to clear all expenses. In villages, there are few customers thus low revenue.”

In January, the state government had announced the shut down of 500 sewa kendras, which will affect more than 3,500 employees in the state. Some operators working in sewa kendras, on the condition of anonymity, said they had not been getting salaries for long.

“We get a meagre salary of ₹8,500, which has been pending for long. We are forced to take loans with salary not coming,” said an operator with a sewa kendra in Muktsar.

Balraj Singh, of Warring village in Muktsar, said sewa kendras were a boon. “Previously, we had to go to the city for getting any kind of certificate. Now, the service is available in our village and I am not dependent upon my sons to take me to the city.”