Power corp staff to go on strike today; engineers also to join them
Umesh Dewan/TNS

Patiala, November 20
Thousands of non-gazetted employees working with the state’s two power utilities will go on a statewide protest on November 21. They will be joined by the engineers on November 22.

According to highly placed sources in Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL), the decision was taken after talks between the employees/engineers and the power corporation remained inconclusive today.

With power an important election issue, hectic deliberations are on at Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's office to find a way out of the deadlock. "The support of the power corporation employees and officers is crucial for the coming elections", said a senior officer attached with the office of the Secretary, Power, Punjab. The non-revision of the generation incentive (GI), non-fulfillment of the commitment to put Rs 250 crore in the GPF Trust and non-revision of the local outdoor duty allowance by November 11, have left the engineers fuming.

Speaking to The Tribune, president of the PSEB Engineers' Association, HS Bedi, said: “The fact that the grade pay of Rs 6,850 has not been given to the assistant XENs, as agreed upon earlier, is also a betrayal. It is now crystal clear that our association will go ahead with the state-level agitation on November 22", he said.

Thousands of employees working with the power corporation plan to hold a protest at the PSPCL headquarters here tomorrow. They allege that the state government has been “ignoring their genuine demands, despite accepting these principle.” Despite repeated attempts, the PSPCL/PSTCL top brass refused to comment on the matter.