PSEB delays recruitments
HT correspondent
PATIALA:

The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) is delaying the recruitment of assistant engineers, junior engineers and sub-station attendants, the process for which was started 14 months ago, for no explicable reason.
The PSEB had, in January 2009, advertised 125 posts of assistant engineers, 225 posts of junior engineers and 200 posts of sub-station attendants and the last date for receipt of applications was fixed as February 6. But the board extended the date six times without a valid reason. Finally the exams were held on September 9, 2009, but the suc- cessful candidates have still not got the appointment letters.

In contrast, the process of recruitment of assistant engi- neers in 2007 was completed in less than six months despite the fact that the result was delayed because of the model code of conduct in view of the Assembly elections.

A PSEB official said new can- didates were being called for verification of documents at this stage, which was further delaying the recruitment , process and creating doubts in public mind about the gen- uineness of the exercise.

PSEB Engineers' Association general secretary Bhupinder Singh said that due to ban on recruitments, over 18,000 posts were lying vacant in the PSEB.

“In the engineering cadre, more than 650 posts of SDOs, 44 per cent of the sanctioned posts, are vacant, forcing officers to do more work than they can actually handle,“ he said.

While the technical posts sanctioned to control strategic locations at the thermal and hydel generating stations are also lying vacant, the PSEB is spending crores on building grid sub-stations which, after commissioning, are manned by untrained junior-level officials instead of trained operators.

“The existing manpower is grossly inadequate,“ said Bhupinder.

It is learnt that consultants engaged by the Board to study the staffing pattern have rec- ommended almost double the existing staff strength.

A senior PSEB official said the recruitment of SDOs was also stuck because of an issue relating to sports quota, but the matter had been sorted out and the results would be declared by next week. The JEs' result would be declared the same day.