Punjab’s power sector sees rare united front as employees, engineers and pensioners join hands

Union leaders said the joint action committee has been constituted to oppose the sale of power utility properties, the delay in setting up two 800 MW units at the Ropar Thermal Power Plant, and the Punjab government’s silence over the draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2025. According to them, these developments indicate a gradual move towards privatisation.

However, beneath these stated issues lies a widening communication vacuum between the government and power sector employees, increased disciplinary actions, and an absence of meaningful dialogue.

There is a growing political interference in this autonomous body, union leaders frequently allege during protest speeches at dharnas. All India Power Employees Federation even wrote to Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann Wednesday to timely intervene and resolve the issues through a dialogue.

Background of power utilities

The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) was unbundled into Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Power Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) on April 16, 2010. While both entities are autonomous bodies, they remain 100 per cent owned by the Punjab government.

“At its peak, the PSEB employed over 1.2 lakh regular employees. Today, PSPCL and PSTCL together have around 28,000 regular employees, along with nearly 15,000 contract and outsourced workers, while the consumer base has increased manifold,”said Gurpreet Singh Gadiwind, state president of PSEB employees federation.

Joint forum announced

A joint meeting of various power sector organisations was held in Patiala on December 22, followed by the formal announcement of the joint forum on December 24. Organisations that have come together include the PSEB Engineers Association (PSEBEA), Council of Junior Engineers, Power Employees Sangharsh Morcha, Pensioners Association, IT Officers Association, HR Officers Association, Accounts Association and several other bodies.

The organisations have jointly decided to fight for common demands under the banner of the Joint Action Committee of Power Sector Employees, Engineers and Pensioners.

“Under which the Joint Action Committee has announced agitation programs as well which are: January 2, 2026: Zonal dharna and protest at Amritsar; January 6, 2026: Zonal dharna and protest at Bathinda; January 9, 2026: Zonal dharna and protest at Patiala; January 15, 2026: Zonal dharna and protest at Ludhiana; January 20, 2026: Zonal dharna and protest at Jalandhar,” said Avtar Singh Kainth, one of the spokespersons of the joint action committee.

Engineers Amandeep Jehlvi and Jatinder Garg, also spokespersons of the committee, said, “Further, a dharna will be held outside the PSPCL head office, Patiala, in the last week of January. If anti–power sector activities will still not stopped, all power sector employees, officers and engineers will proceed on a mass leave.”

They emphasised that this was the first time engineers, employees and pensioners had come together under one banner. “Therefore, it is not only the responsibility of employees but also of the general public to participate in this struggle to protect Punjab’s public power sector in public interest,” a spokesperson said.

Support from farmers’ unions

The joint action committee has also received support from the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), particularly on the opposition to the draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2025, the sale of PSPCL properties to generate funds, and delays in enhancing the state’s own power generation capacity.

The spokespersons hence said, “farmers’ organisations under the banner of SKM will also participate in this agitation.”

The spokespersons said a delegation met the chairman of PSPCL on December 23 and submitted a struggle notice.

“The Chairman assured positive steps and has scheduled a meeting with the Joint Action Committee on 30/12/25 on the above-mentioned issues,” they said.

Even so, the committee made a direct appeal to the state leadership. “This is yet another appeal to the Chief Minister of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, to immediately intervene to protect Punjab’s public power sector in the interest of the people,” the spokespersons said.

Flashpoints since October

The draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2025 was sent by the Union power ministry to states for feedback on October 7, triggering strong opposition from power sector employees who view it as a pathway to privatisation.

The delay in setting up two 800 MW thermal units at Ropar has been a longstanding issue, while the proposed sale of more than 50 PSPCL and PSTCL properties at prime locations across Punjab has emerged as a fresh controversy since October.

The unrest, however, escalated sharply after October 30, when Ajoy Sinha, CMD of PSPCL and PSTCL, was replaced by another bureaucrat Dr Basant Garg. A series of disciplinary actions followed this. On November 2, Harish Sharma, chief engineer with joint charge of Ropar and Goindwal Sahib thermal plants, was suspended. On November 4, Harjeet Singh, director of generation PSPCL, was removed from his post over alleged irregularities in fuel costs.

PSPCL claimed that despite sourcing coal from its own Pachhwara mine, government plants were generating power at a cost of Rs 0.75 to Rs 1.25 per unit higher than private plants, leading to losses of several crores. Sources said an inquiry is underway.

On November 18, chief engineer Harmohan Kaur, who was earlier denied earned leave and issued a show-cause notice after proceeding on leave without formal sanction. The notice was later withdrawn following a sit-in by over 200 engineers at the director of finance’s office.

The most recent trigger was the amendment of recruitment rules for CMDs of PSPCL and PSTCL without consulting stakeholders.
On December 23, PSPCL transferred 17 engineers, all members of PSEBEA, including general secretary Ajaypal Singh Atwal, finance secretary Devinder Kumar Goyal and another active member Jatinder Garg.

While engineers have accepted the transfer orders, the joint action committee has warned that such actions are “further increasing the rift between the employees and management without easing things out”.