Latest news with #PSPCL
Hindustan Times
17 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Punjab: PSPCL staff begin three-day strike
Nearly 15,000 employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) across the state began their three-day strike on Monday, bringing a large part of the grievances redressal at halt and affecting supplies in some areas. Later in the day, the junior engineers's association decided to withdraw its mass leave and strike as Power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO assured them to resolve their major issues. The PSPCL responded by invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA), issuing a warning of strict penalties. Under the ESMA, striking employees face possible termination, cancellation of promotions for those on probation and even imprisonment of up to three years along with penalties. The directive also states that contractual, work-charged, daily wage and contingent staff participating in the strike risk losing their jobs. Junior engineers, linemen, clerks and other staff stopped work, creating major challenges for the department to maintain electricity supply. Among the demands of the protesters were creation of new posts and filling of existing vacancies, increase in ex gratia amount, cashless medical facilities, release of pending allowances, clearance of overtime payments for grid substation staff and some cases of pension revisions, etc Power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO appealed to employees to return to duty, noting that monsoon-related power faults were frequent during this season. He warned that the ongoing strike could disrupt services to lakhs of people and damage business operations. The minister urged unions to settle the issue through dialogue. Later, the junior engineers's association decided to withdraw their mass leave and strike as the minister assured them to resolve their major issues.
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Power supply crippled as PSPCL staff begin 3-day mass leave protest
Nearly 1,320 employees of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) in Ludhiana district went on a three-day mass leave protest from Monday, crippling routine power supply operations and leaving the system under severe strain. PSPCL has deployed clerical staff and other non-technical employees, including women, to run 66 KV substations. (HT Photo) Several routine services including repairing faulty equipment, installing transformers and electricity cables, providing new meter connections, replacing burnt or damaged meters, and extending loads have come to a complete standstill, officials said. The workers, being led by multiple unions, are demanding release of 13% pending dearness allowance, restoration of the old pension scheme, rectification of pay and pension anomalies, regularisation of contract workers, and recruitment for nearly 50,000 vacant posts. To maintain supply, the department has reassigned employees from billing, enforcement, and divisional offices to the distribution wing. However, officials warned the timing is critical, as the paddy season and monsoon increase feeder tripping cases, technical glitches, and faults, while high demand puts additional pressure on sub-stations. 'With 60% to 65% of staff on strike, managing operations is extremely difficult. We have shifted all available workforce to electricity distribution, but repairs and restoration will be delayed, especially if rain worsens the situation, said Tarsem Lal, XEN, Model Town division. Peons, clerks posted at high-risk zones To keep the power flowing, PSPCL has resorted to the controversial step of deploying clerical staff, peons, chowkidars, and other non-technical employees including women to run 66 KV substations. The decision has triggered outrage among unions, who warn it puts lives at risk. 'Sub-stations are high-risk zones. In an emergency, how will untrained staff manage live wires, complex circuits, and high-voltage equipment? This is gambling with safety', said Rashpal Singh, deputy general secretary of PSPCL Employees' Federation (AITUC). Farmer union backs strike The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) has thrown its weight behind the protest, urging the government to accept the employees' demands. In a letter issued on Monday, the union said it 'fully supports the employees' legitimate rights' and called on the authorities to resolve the matter without delay. Public concern over the impact of the strike is also growing. In Ugrahan, villagers entered a substation to raise objections to the absence of technical staff. They claimed the department had stationed only a clerical employee there, leaving no one qualified to respond to outages or emergencies. 'How will a clerk manage high-voltage equipment in such situations?' a villager asked. PSPCL invokes ESMA The PSPCL has warned employees against joining the strike, citing the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) 1947, under which violators face up to three years in jail, fines, pay cuts, stalled promotions, service breaks, and even dismissal for disrupting power supply. When contacted,chief engineer Jagdev Hans said, 'We are managing the situation with the present workforce. Regarding the deployment of clerical and non-technical staff in substations, the department is already grappling with a staff shortage. With this strike, we have no choice but to use their services for routine operations. To ensure their safety, we have also deployed XENs and SDOs at each substation so that any mishaps can be avoided.'
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Our works stalled, govt must release Rs 27-crore grant: Mohali Mayor
Mohali Mayor Amarjit Singh Jeeti Sidhu has complained that they have not received the promised grant of approximately Rs 27 crore from the Punjab government which is hampering the development projects in the city. The mayor also made it clear that the MC is facing a severe fund crunch and has already written to the Local Government Department and the Chief Minister seeking financial assistance. He alleged that several departments, including PSPCL and GMADA, still owe significant amounts to the MC. 'The government must immediately release the grant so that the process of execution can begin,' Sidhu added. Sources in the MC said that the sanctioned works include laying premix on various city roads, building libraries in sectors 77, 78, 79, and 80, constructing community centres in villages Kumbra and Mataur, replacing old grills along central verges of main roads, and developing a new chowk in Mataur, among other projects. 'As per the available funds, the MC is already carrying out essential maintenance works in the city. Until the money for these special projects is received, we will not start them. Our priority is to complete the most urgent works first,' said Sidhu.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Grid failure leaves parts of Mohali without power for 12 hours
1 2 Mohali: Large parts of Mohali district, including Kharar and Nayagaon, reeled under a 12-hour power outage Thursday following a snag at the 66 kV Ansal and Gillco lines that caused a grid failure at the 66 kV Kharar substation. Power snapped around 1pm and was restored only by midnight. PSPCL officials said the fault was at the substation level, and teams from the 220 kV Kharar station and Transco worked tirelessly for several hours to restore supply. "We developed a snag at the 66 kV grid substation in Kharar, disrupting power supply," confirmed a PSPCL executive engineer. The outage came amid an ongoing spell of unscheduled power cuts in the region over the past few days, adding to residents' frustration. Ranjit Singh from Sector 124 said, "Yesterday, we were in the dark for almost 12 hours. The sultry weather made matters worse." In Phase 3-A, Gagganpreet Singh complained of "intermittent power cuts five to 10 times a day, lasting from 10 minutes to half an hour". Khushinder Singh Baidwan from Nayagaon said, "Every other day there's either a snag or a sudden cut. Nights are unbearable in this heat." The situation was no different in parts of Chandigarh, where residents in sectors 32 to 37 reported regular outages ranging from 15 to 35 minutes on Wednesday and Thursday. They said despite Punjab govt's claims of being a power-surplus state with assured, maintenance-free supply, the ground reality tells a different story. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Raksha Bandhan wishes , messages and quotes !
Hindustan Times
05-08-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana: Outsourced PSPCL workers demanding job regularisation to halt work today
With no resolution in sight for their long-pending demands, PSPCL outsourced workers employed as complaint handling bikes (CHB) and complaint handling wagons (CHW) in Ludhiana have announced to stall their routine operations on Tuesday, as part of statewide strike under the banner of Powercom and Transco Contractual Workers Union. Union leaders have stated that they have held multiple rounds of talks with government representatives but to no avail. (HT photo for representation) Avtar Singh, head of the union in the Aggar Nagar division said, 'We are shutting down our operations mainly in Aggar Nagar, Janta Nagar and Sunder Nagar division as part of the demonstration. He further stated that we are the one who resolved electricity related complaints registered on helpline 1912, even in adverse weather conditions putting our lives at risk. Still, the authorities fail to provide secured jobs to us.' The protest comes in the wake of what the workers allege is the non-implementation of assurances given by the state government during a meeting held on July 12. The meeting, chaired by the chief minister, was attended by the power minister, principal secretaries of the power, finance, and personnel departments, and representatives of the contractual workers. According to a letter dated July 21 addressed to PSPCL senior officials including the CM, finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, and the PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director, union representatives have reiterated their core demands. These include scrapping the privatisation policy, removing third-party contractors, directly inducting outsourced workers such as CHB, CHW, and CHH into the department, implementing minimum wages as per the Minimum Wages Act of 1948, and ensuring permanent jobs and pension benefits for workers injured on duty. 'During the July 12 meeting, the CM assured us that our demands would be met and directed the power minister to take necessary action. However, nothing has moved on the ground,' said one of the union members, expressing frustration over the continued delays. Union leaders have stated that they have held multiple rounds of talks with government representatives but to no avail. In the absence of concrete action, they said, workers are left with no choice but to intensify their agitation.
