India, Sept. 15 -- Battling an unprecedented power crisis that has triggered statewide protests and crippled industrial operations, the Punjab government on Monday replaced Basant Garg as power secretary and chairman-cum-managing Director (CMD) of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). Senior IAS officer Gurkirat Kirpal Singh has been given charge of both positions with immediate effect.

The shake-up comes as the state's peak power demand surged to over 17,000 MW, leading to widespread domestic outages and industrial blackouts stretching up to 14 hours.

Industrial bodies and Opposition parties have mounted a fierce attack on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, alleging flawed demand forecasting and grid management. To bridge ...