Agitators firm on strike
Rajay Deep
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 12
At one hand the government is close to unbundle the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), on the other agitation launched by the employees to foil the government’s attempt is gaining momentum with various organisations, including unions of farmers, labourers and Municipal employees, joining the protest.

The agitators are adament over their two-day strike (April 15-16). Assembling at PSEB grid here, the employees today announced that their families were with them in the agitation and the state would be able to deter them from their stand.

Speaking in the reference to the news reports regarding the administration’s preparation to thwart any unlikely situation during protest, the agitators claimed that the strike would be peaceful one, but if the government did not pay heed to their demands, they would be left with no other choice but to adopt strict measures.

“We will intensify the protest against the government tactics to hand over the PSEB to some private players,” they claimed.

“Political leaders have been misguiding people and employees and issuing false statement in media. Their claim that unbundling would hardly make any difference to the employees is totally false,” said Nikka Ram, president of the Bathinda division of the Technical Services Union.

Addressing the gathering, the union leaders alleged the unbundling would mean the end of concession to farmers and farm labourers. Besides, it would also end permanent job security for the employees.

The staff is demanding that instead of going for the unbundling, the state government should pass a resolution in the Vidhan Sabha and suspend the Power Act, 2003, as it would give impetus to privatisation and entire working would be affected.

The protesters, who had assembled under the banner of PSEB Employees Federation, Punjab, and Technical Services Union and supported by the Bharti Kisan Union EKTA (Ugrahan), also held a protest march in the city and handed over a memorandum to the SDM Bathinda, urging him to forward it to the Chief Minister.