PESCO plans new ventures

Among the corporation8217;s new plans is acquiring one or two rest houses, which are being auctioned by the Punjab government, for developing a modern horticulture, floriculture and bee-keeping centre. Ex-servicemen would also be trained in these activities. Funds for acquiring the rest houses would be raised through National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development NBARD.

Maj Gen Sidhu said that there was a move to supply 200 drivers to the Punjab Roadways Transport Corporation. The drivers will be ex-servicemen who have experience in driving heavy vehicles. A training school for heavy vehicle drivers is also in the offing.

A computer institute, a fashion designing and stitching school would be set up in the PESCO building in Sector 40. Estimated to cost about Rs 10 lakh, the funds for this project would be made available from the corporations8217; resources. The computer institute would be a franchise and preference for instructors as well as students will be given to ex-servicemen and their dependents respectively, though non-services background persons would be enrolled if vacancies exist.

Two stitching centres, estimated around Rs 20 lakh each, are slated to be set up at Bathinda and Hoshiarpur. Project reports of the same have been forwarded to NBARD for generating resources.

A plan to manufacture bus bodies is also under study. The workshop is likely to be set up at Dera Bassi or Kurali, where PESCO owns some land. Expected to cost about Rs 10 lakh, the funds for this project too will be drawn from its own holdings. A dog centre for training guard dogs is also being considered. Presently, the corporation is not in a sound financial position owing to some of its commercial enterprises not receiving the desired quantity of orders.

Earlier, PESCO8217;s unit for stitching military uniforms used to get substantial orders from the Defence Ministry, but over the past two years they have dwindled, leading to losses in this area and also retrenchment of staff. Similarly, it had a workshop for bullet-proofing government cars, but with the decline of insurgency in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, the orders from this sector too have come down. An outlet for Eicher light vehicles has reportedly done no business for the last two years. A Maruti service station is managing to break even. PESCO8217;s security business, on the other hand has been extremely successful. Employing ex-servicemen, its security force has generated considerable revenue. Gen Sidhu said that the Bhakra Beas Management Board is considering handing over its security arrangements to PESCO, while security of all PSEB establishments will also be handled by PESCO.