royalpatiala.in News Impact: Minister Sond assumes charge at PSPCL HQ, focuses on power sector challenges and employee morale
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ May 13,2026
Today, Punjab Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond formally assumed charge as the Power Minister at the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) Headquarters in Patiala amidst the presence of senior officers and officials of the department.
A day after news portal royalpatiala.in highlighted the challenges before the new Power Minister and the prevailing scenario in Punjab’s power sector in a report titled, “After ETO and Arora, Tough Challenges Await Minister Sond in Punjab Power Sector,” highlighting how his predecessors Harbhajan Singh ETO and Sanjeev Arora remained at loggerheads with engineers and employees of the state power sector, he has to face a difficult task in managing Punjab’s power sector at a crucial time when the department itself is going through a challenging phase marked by rising power demand during summer, frequent power cuts, power shortages, limited power banking, joint action committee, contractual, outsourced employees agitations, and financial stress. To understand and manage the situation, the minister specially visited Patiala to assume charge at the PSPCL head office. He became the first power minister to assume charge at PSPCL head office
During his visit, he met power department officials, members of engineers’ associations and representatives of the Joint Action Committee in an effort to ease tensions between employees, the government and the management.
Earlier in the morning, the minister met Powercom directors in Chandigarh. Later in the evening, he formally assumed charge at the PSPCL headquarters in Patiala, becoming the first Power Minister to do so at the corporation’s head office.
Soon after assuming charge, the Power Minister chaired a high-level review meeting with senior officials of the Power Department and PSPCL to assess the preparedness for the upcoming paddy transplantation season. During the meeting, Sond categorically directed the officials to ensure uninterrupted and adequate power supply to farmers across the state so that the agricultural operations are carried out smoothly without any inconvenience.
Tarunpreet Singh Sond said that the Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann led Punjab Government is fully committed to safeguarding the interests of farmers and providing seamless power supply during the paddy season, which is vital for the agrarian economy of the state. He emphasized that the government has already been making continuous efforts to strengthen the power sector and further improve consumer services.
Reviewing the existing infrastructure, the Power Minister instructed officials to expedite the upgradation and maintenance of power infrastructure, especially in rural and village areas, in order to minimize power cuts and enhance the quality and reliability of electricity supply. He directed the department to ensure timely replacement and augmentation of transformers, transmission lines and other equipment wherever required.
The Minister further stressed the need for efficient monitoring mechanisms and prompt redressal of public grievances related to electricity supply. He asked the officials to maintain close coordination at all levels to tackle any issue on priority during the peak demand season.
Tarunpreet Singh Sond reiterated that under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, the Punjab Government is continuously working towards modernizing the power infrastructure and ensuring better services for domestic, agricultural and industrial consumers across the state.
Chairman-cum-Managing Director Dr. Basant Garg, Director distribution Dr. Inderpal Singh, Director finance SK Beri, Director commercial Er. Harsharan Kaur Trehan among several others were also present during the meeting.
Sond is already having Tourism & Cultural Affairs, Labour, Hospitality and Rural Development & Panchayat departments in his portfolio.
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After ETO and Arora, tough challenges await minister Sond in Punjab Power Sector
