G S Pannu
Patiala, May 14,2020: PSPCL/PSTCL engineers have shown their resentment through this press note and said that verious district administration have been assigning non departmental duties like procurement of wheat in mandis, general administrative tasks like issuing curfew passes, shift duties for monitoring quarantine centres etc to PSPCL/PSTCL engineers and technical staff. Earlier due to intervention of office of Principal secretary/ Power and PSPCL management, such duties of Engineering officers and technical staff of PSPCL/PSTCL who are taking care of the “Essential Service” of providing 24x7 power supply to the public and healthcare facilities of the state at this critical juncture, were taken back.
Principal secretary/ Power through their memo number 1/4/2020-EB(PR)/203 dated 7/4/2020 has conveyed the instructions of Hon’ble CM Punjab regarding resuming work to ensure reliable supply, in anticipation of the coming summer and paddy season. It appears that the local district administrations are not interested in or are oblivious to the orders of the Hon’ble CM. The District Administration Ludhiana ignoring the critical status of supply in a highly populated and critical city like Ludhiana, has deputed majority of Engineers on other non departmental duties, the duties for which staff from other departments could have been easily managed by the local administration.
Er Jasvir Singh Dhiman President of the association informed that members of the association have always stood at the forefront for the service of the State and have been cooperating with the district administrations and performing their duties with utmost sincerity, ensuring reliable and continuous supply to the state and healthcare facilities at this critical juncture. But instead of appreciating the efforts of the engineers, the actions of district administration Ludhiana have demoralised the cadre. It seems that district administration Ludhiana has some bias against the PSPCL engineers.
There is huge resentment in PSPCL engineers against such move of the district administration Ludhiana. Association demands the immediate cancellation of show cause notices issued to the engineers by the district administration Ludhiana and if such conditions prevail it will become very difficult to perform duties by the engineers and the technical staff and association members would be constrained to follow the path of agitation. Starting from Ludhiana region on Friday 15/5/2020 by wearing of black badges and agitation will be further intensified and extended to the whole state from Monday 18/5/2020 onwards.