Photo Source: Babushahi Bureau
Sangrur: Power outage halts services at Sanghera Seva Kendra, public left stranded
Kamaljeet Singh Sandhu
Sangrur (Punjab), June 26, 2026: Public services at the Seva Kendra in Sanghera village have come to a standstill due to a prolonged power outage and the exhaustion of diesel for the backup generator, leaving hundreds of residents struggling to access essential government services.
People visiting the Seva Kendra for Aadhaar updates, certificates and other official documents expressed anger over what they described as poor administrative management. Many complained that despite arriving before dawn and waiting in long queues, they were forced to return without getting their work done.
Residents said they had been lining up as early as 4 a.m. in the hope of securing tokens, but the disruption in electricity supply and the shutdown of the generator brought all operations to a complete halt.
Jagseer Singh, a resident of Thullewal village, said he had been visiting the Seva Kendra for the past four days to update his children’s Aadhaar cards.
He alleged that the token system was poorly managed, with only around 60 Aadhaar cards being processed each day.
According to him, despite reaching the centre at 4:30 a.m. and preparing a list of 65 applicants, officials later informed them that services could not continue because there was no electricity and the generator had run out of diesel.
He questioned whether citizens were now expected to arrange fuel for government offices themselves, adding that more than 150 people were left waiting outside the centre.
Another visitor, Manjit Kaur, broke down while narrating her ordeal. She said all three of her sons had passed away and that she had no one to support her.
She claimed she had been visiting the Seva Kendra for the past four days, repeatedly asked to bring additional documents such as her voter ID. Even after producing all the required documents, she was told that her work could not be completed due to the lack of electricity and internet connectivity.
Responding to the situation, Senior Operator Sandeep Kaur confirmed that the disruption had left both citizens and staff frustrated. She said the Seva Kendra operates on a prepaid electricity meter, and the balance had been exhausted, resulting in a power cut since around 11 a.m. the previous day.
Sandeep Kaur further stated that technical issues with the online portals had already been affecting services for nearly ten days, while the power outage had completely halted operations from the previous day onward.
She added that only about seven per cent diesel remained in the generator, forcing it to shut down as well. The matter was immediately reported to higher authorities, who informed the staff that an email had been sent to the head office seeking action.
“We are ready to work, but without electricity we are helpless. Services can only resume once the prepaid meter is recharged and diesel is supplied for the generator,” she said.
Residents have urged the Punjab Government and the district administration to immediately address the situation, arguing that claims of delivering digital governance and prompt public services lose credibility when basic necessities such as electricity and fuel are unavailable. They said repeated disruptions are wasting citizens’ time, money and daily wages while preventing them from accessing essential government services.