AAP’s national convener Arvind Kejriwal and CM lay foundation stone of project
Project to be executed at a cost of more than Rs 5000 crore
By next summer, there will not be a single power cut in Punjab- Kejriwal.
A new era has begun in Punjab’s power sector-CM
All kinds of darkness will be eliminated from the state
Punjab Newsline, Chandigarh-
Unleashing major power sector reforms, the Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann and National Convener of AAP Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday launched the Roshan Punjab campaign worth more than Rs 5000 crore to make Punjab ‘first power cuts’ free state of the country.
Addressing the gathering after launching the Roshan Punjab campaign, Arvind Kejriwal said that Punjab has witnessed unprecedented floods due to which a lot of devastation took place but the brave and wise people of the state have combated it strongly. Talking about Roshan Punjab, he said that none of the government at the centre or state had ever dreamt about this ambitious project but the Punjab government has taken this historic initiative. Arvind Kejriwal said that industry sector is getting fourth lowest tariff in the country, agriculture sector is uninterrupted power and now this path breaking initiative is being taken adding that work on this has not been done in last 75 years.
Arvind Kejriwal said that it is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction to be here amongst all of you to launch the ‘Power Cut’ Free Punjab project. He said that this day marks a dawn of a new era as a historic initiative has been introduced in Punjab’s power sector. National Convener of AAP said that a project worth Rs 5000 crore is being launched to make Punjab free from power outages, through the complete transformation of the Transmission and Distribution network.
Arvind Kejriwal said that for the first time, an investment of Rs 5000 crore is being made to bring reforms in the power sector. He said that through this project, Punjab will receive uninterrupted 24-hour power supply by next year, which is why the project has been named “Roshan Punjab” (Illuminated Punjab). National Convener of AAP also lauded Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann for preparing the blueprint for this project adding that under this project, new substations and power lines will be set up, the load on feeders will be reduced, and other important steps will be taken.
Arvind Kejriwal said that the focus will be on building new infrastructure, upgrading existing systems, and enhancing maintenance in the power sector. He said that this will eliminate the issue of voltage fluctuation, especially in rural and remote areas, and significantly improve power supply. The National Convener of AAP said that there is no shortage of electricity in Punjab, but in many places substations, electric lines, and other infrastructure have become outdated, leading to interruptions in power supply.
Arvind Kejriwal said that special projects have also been implemented to improve power systems in large cities. He said that in the 13 Municipal corporations, a project has been launched to improve the Low Tension (LT) network. National Convener of AAP said that Unnecessary wires are being removed from electric poles, low-hanging wires are being raised, old wires are being replaced, and open meter boxes are being sealed to ensure public safety.
Arvind Kejriwal said that often, low or naked wires cause accidents, which is why this project was initiated. He said that this was first introduced as a pilot project in the West Ludhiana subdivision, and after its success, it is now being implemented in other cities. National Convener of AAP said that the initiative has now been started across all 87 subdivisions under these municipal corporations and is expected to be completed by June 2026.
Arvind Kejriwal said that for the convenience of consumers, a call center has been set up in Mohali, and its helpline number – 1912 – has been launched. He said that the call center has a staff of 180 members who assist people around the clock. The National convener of AAP said that for the first time in Punjab, an initiative has been started to provide 600 units of free electricity to every household, to reduce the financial burden on common people.
Meanwhile , the Chief Minister said that the vision and dynamism of AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal has forced the traditional political parties to change their manifestos. He said that education, health and power had acquired a centre stage in the political agenda of the parties due to the concerted efforts of AAP and its national convener Arvind Kejriwal. He said that prior to this none of the political parties had ever bothered about these core sectors that have been most important for a common man.
The Chief Minister said that realizing well that power is the lifeline of the economy, the state government has taken several key initiatives to augment this sector. He said it is a matter of immense pride and satisfaction that due to concerted efforts of the state government all the sectors domestic, industrial and agriculture are getting uninterrupted power supply. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that owing to the massive efforts of the state government coal supply from Pachwara coal mine, which was shut since 2015, was resumed due to which the state now has surplus coal.
The Chief Minister said that contrary to the fact that the assets of the country are being sold at meager prices to the friends of the Union government, the state has created history by purchasing Goindwal power plant owned by a private company GVK Power. He said that for the first time this reverse trend has started that a government has purchased any private power plant whereas in the past the state governments used to sell their assets to the favorite individuals at ‘throw away’ prices. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the state government has named this power plant after the third Sikh Guru Sri Guru Amardass ji.