HC seeks explanation from Punjab, PSPCL over hospital power outages

Patiala: The Punjab and Haryana high court has pulled up the Punjab govt and the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) over recurring power outages in the maternity and operation theatre (OT) wards of Patiala's Rajindra Hospital. The court has directed both the chief secretary and the PSPCL managing director to file affidavits explaining the lapses.
The directive came after advocate Sunaina, appearing as petitioner in person, moved a revival application in an ongoing public interest litigation. The application pointed to a 30-minute blackout on April 15 in the hospital's MCH building—just two months after a similar 10-15 minute outage on Feb 4 had already drawn the court's attention.
Union minister of state for railways and food processing industries Ravneet Singh Bittu also criticised the April incident, posting on social media that it was "more than a technical glitch," and calling for accountability from the state administration.
Earlier this year, the Punjab govt had assured the court that diesel generator (DG) sets and automatic switchovers would be installed in all blocks of the hospital by March 1. However, the petitioner argued that the April outage proved non-compliance with the court's directions. The state's explanation that the failure was due to "routine maintenance" was described by the petitioner as "vague and unacceptable."
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sumeet Goel questioned why the backup power systems failed to activate during the outage. The court noted that the state counsel was unable to provide a satisfactory answer, raising serious concerns over patient safety, particularly in emergency areas such as maternity and surgical wards.
Sunaina also alleged that an RTI application she filed with the hospital seeking details about the installation of auto-switches went unanswered. She called for disciplinary action against officials responsible for failing to ensure uninterrupted power in critical hospital areas.
The PIL was previously disposed of in Feb after the chief secretary submitted an affidavit assuring completion of the required power infrastructure by March. However, with recent events revealing ongoing failures, the high court has revived the case and is now seeking detailed responses from the authorities.
"The state is bound by its assurances. If compliance fails, the court will take strict action," the bench warned, allowing the petitioner to seek further legal remedies if needed.
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