PSEB Unbundling
State prepares to tackle disruptions
To get paramilitary help; may invoke ESMA
Jangveer Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 9
Punjab will get four to five paramilitary battalions to foil any disruption in power supply in case of strike calls by a section of employees or farmer unions protesting against the proposed bifurcation of the PSEB into state-owned companies by April 15.

It is also contemplating invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), which prohibits strikes and allows arrests without warrants. It has brought the Punjab Villages and Small Towns Monitoring Act in force that aims at voluntary patrolling by citizens to protect transmission lines. Village heads will be associated by the district administration for this purpose.

The government has also constituted district and subdivisional monitoring committees today. These committees will include representatives from the civil administration, PSEB and the police. Control rooms are being established in each district for this purpose.

Special emphasis is being laid on the thermal plants in Ropar and Bathinda districts for which special force has been deputed. More than 20 companies of the Punjab Armed Police will be guarding the grid stations in the state, which supply power to big towns to ensure there is no blackout in case of a strike call.

Meanwhile, sources said the government wants to follow a policy of being flexible towards mainstream employees and at the same time isolate Leftist organizations, who might launch a protest against the unbundling exercise. Leaders of these organisations, including the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta- Ugrahan) may face preemptive arrests.

During a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here today, some concerns were expressed that the district police force did not have requisite equipment to control riot-like situations. District police chiefs were asked to purchase any equipment needed, including riot sticks and teargas shells. The Chief Minister also ordered that night patrolling be intensified to instill confidence in the public.

In a separate development, BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) general secretary Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan said 22 kisan and khet mazdoor organisations affiliated with the group had prepared themselves for a struggle against the unbundling of the PSEB. He claimed the bifurcation was the first step towards privatisation. He said the group would announce its formal decision to launch a “people movement” against the unbundling exercise in a day or two.

The Chief Minister, meanwhile, held meetings with various employee unions of the PSEB today. Sources said most mainstream unions might be brought around though the Technical Services Union (Bhangal group) might go on strike.