The Punjab government has put on hold the transfer of four high-value properties belonging to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and other departments to the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA). This decision comes amid ongoing protests by power sector engineers against the state's plan to monetize public assets.
Deferred Properties and Revenue Plans
The deferred properties include two major sites in Ludhiana and two in Jalandhar. In Ludhiana, the transfer of Power Colony-1 and Power Colony-2 located at the PSPCL complex in Sarabha Nagar has been postponed. In Jalandhar, the affected sites are the Punjab Khadi and Village Industries Board land near the Railway Station and the PSPCL site at Chowgiti.
This move is part of the broader Optimum Utilisation of Vacant Government Land (OUVGL) scheme, under which the government has identified over 20 prime properties for transfer to PUDA. The ultimate goal is to generate significant revenue, with sources indicating a target of around Rs 2,700 crore from the sale of such assets. As per the scheme's structure, 80% of the earnings would go to the original government department owning the land, while PUDA would retain the remaining 20%.
Engineers' Protest and "Work-to-Rule" Agitation
The deferment follows strong opposition from PSPCL engineers and staff unions. Engineers under the banner of the Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers’ Association (PSEBEA) have been observing a 'work-to-rule' protest since December 18. As part of this agitation, engineers are strictly working only from 9 am to 5 pm and switching off their official mobile phones after duty hours.
Ajaypal Singh Atwal, general secretary of PSEBEA, reacted to the government's decision, stating, "We were struggling against the government’s decision to sell government properties… it is heartening to know that the plan to transfer a few properties was deferred." However, the association emphasized that this is only a partial victory, as the government has not suspended the entire list of properties earmarked for transfer.
Broader Concerns and Previous Transfers
PSEBEA, along with other PSPCL unions, has consistently opposed the sale or monetization of land and assets belonging to PSPCL and the Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL). They argue that such measures could negatively impact future infrastructure development and erode public ownership of the critical power sector.
Despite the current deferment, the transfer of other properties under the OUVGL scheme continues. Notably, during a joint board meeting of PSPCL and PSTCL on November 21, about 165 acres of land from the residential colony of the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant in Bathinda was transferred to PUDA. Other properties still on the list for potential transfer include land near railway crossing 23 in Patiala, plots on Pakhowal Road and Brown Road in Ludhiana, the PSPCL property at Fountain Chowk in Ludhiana, and several other locations across the state.
