Unprecedented Protest Rocks PSPCL Headquarters
In a dramatic escalation of tensions between engineers and management, members of the Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers' Association (PSEBEA) staged an unprecedented sit-in protest inside the office of Finance Director S K Beri at the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) head office on Tuesday. The engineers sat on the floor while Beri remained at his desk, marking what association leaders called a first in PSPCL's history.
Show-Cause Notice Sparks Confrontation
The immediate trigger for the protest was a show-cause notice issued to Harmohan Kaur, Chief Engineer of Aggregate Revenue Requirement and Tariff Regulation (ARR&TR), on November 17. The notice accused Kaur of misconduct for proceeding on leave during what PSPCL described as a crucial phase of tariff petition preparation and important Supreme Court consultation work.
According to PSPCL's version of events, Kaur had taken a half-day leave on November 4 for Nagar Kirtan and subsequently applied for earned leave from November 6-21, citing urgent domestic work. When this request was denied due to critical workload, she allegedly revised her application citing medical grounds but failed to provide supporting documents. The corporation claims she proceeded on leave without formal approval and missed a key meeting with a senior advocate on November 5 ahead of a Supreme Court hearing scheduled for November 6.
Management Assures Resolution After Protest
Ajaypal Singh Atwal, General Secretary of PSEBEA, told reporters that over 200 power engineers assembled at the PSPCL head office within half an hour of the protest call, taking management by surprise. Following the dharna inside Beri's office, the Finance Director assured that the show-cause notice would be withdrawn and that whole-time directors would review the matter.
"This has never happened before in the history of PSPCL that we had to stage a dharna inside the office of a director," Atwal emphasized. "He said that the whole-time directors (WTDs) would take a call on the matter. This was our demand because only WTDs are empowered to take action against an officer of the rank of chief engineer."
Third Major Action Against Senior Engineers
The notice to Harmohan Kaur represents the third major disciplinary action against senior engineers since Dr. Basant Garg assumed charge as PSPCL Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) on October 30. Dr. Garg also serves as Punjab's Power Secretary.
The recent disciplinary actions include:
- November 2: Suspension of Harish Sharma, Chief Engineer at Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant in Ropar, over alleged irregularities in fuel costs
- November 4: Termination of Harjeet Singh, Director (Generation), citing "serious misconduct" related to fuel cost mismanagement
PSPCL claimed that despite sourcing coal from its own Pachhwara mine, government plants were generating power at costs ₹0.75 to ₹1.25 per unit higher than private plants, resulting in losses of several crores.
Growing Tensions Under New Leadership
The engineers' association has alleged that senior technical officers are being unfairly targeted and that punitive actions lack transparency. District-level protests are already underway concerning the actions against Sharma and Singh.
"The issue has now been escalated," Atwal stated firmly. "This is the third unwarranted action on power engineers within this month, and we will not sit quietly."
The association has expressed concern about the management approach under Dr. Garg's leadership, though attempts to reach the CMD for comment were unsuccessful. The situation highlights growing friction between PSPCL's administrative leadership and its technical cadre, with engineers demanding more transparent and fair disciplinary procedures.
