Faced with the spectre of privatisation and restructuring, engineers of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) have now come up with a proposal thereby offering an alternative to privatisation. The engineers call for taking responsibility for each and every electricity unit generated, transmitted and distributed right from the Board members to the level of Junior Engineer of the PSEB. Assuming responsibility for what they call a ‘100 per cent audit proposal’, it offers the government a model where it can fix responsibility and accountability at each level with each employee keeping an account of electricity units received and sold in his jurisdiction. Chief engineer at PSEB and former association president Padamjit Singh says that in this model, an autonomous profit centre heads generation, transmission and distribution which is accountable for each and every unit that is generated, transmitted and distributed. The association prefers this alternative of internal reform instead of the restructuring under consideration by the Punjab Government. ‘‘We propose functional unbundling of the Board rather than structural unbundling as has been done in other states’’, said association president M.S. Bajwa while citing that unsuccessful case of structuring reforms in Orissa. Association’s general secretary H.S. Bedi said, “A proposal has been submitted to the Haldia Committee which is considering structural reforms. and we just hope that the identity of the PSEB remains intact as specified under the Electricity Supply Act 48.” Singh adds, ‘‘The integrated and economic grid operation would be the first major casualty of the proposed unbundling and even Parliamentary Committee of Energy had clearly accepted the principle of integrated grid operation.’’ Interestingly, the association’s V-P R.S. Sohal says, ‘‘the performance of our generation and transmission units is excellent.’’. And he further states that there is need to control power theft and increase the revenue earnings in the distribution wing. Funds are required for more generating stations and improvement in the transmission and distribution system, but the proposed corporatisation will not bring funds for improvement in any of these areas. For them the free power for farmers was anathema and the association was amongst the first to criticise the Akali government for this move. Today, it is seeking responsibility for turning around the Board. But with the move to restructure already on, would there be any takers.
