Aman Arora urges PSPCL employees to end strike, says Govt ready for talks
Babushahi Bureau
Sunam (Patiala), July 26, 2026: Punjab AAP president and Cabinet Minister Aman Arora on Sunday appealed to the striking employees of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) to immediately withdraw their strike, saying it is causing hardship to farmers during the ongoing paddy transplantation season and disrupting essential services for nearly three crore people across the state.
Addressing a press conference, Arora said the Bhagwant Mann government remains open to dialogue and is already considering the employees’ pending demands through a high-level committee constituted around 25 days ago at the request of employee unions.
He said the strike, which began on July 21, has affected electricity-related services, creating difficulties for farmers, domestic consumers, traders and the general public. He stressed that uninterrupted power supply is crucial during the paddy transplantation season.
Arora said the state government has already accepted several demands of PSPCL employees and assured that all genuine recommendations made by the committee would also be considered favourably.
He informed that the committee includes senior officials from the Finance, Power and Personnel departments, along with four representatives of employee unions, and is holding continuous discussions to resolve the remaining issues.
The Cabinet Minister said resorting to a strike while talks are underway is not in the larger public interest. He urged employees to present their demands through dialogue instead of causing inconvenience to the public.
Referring to his recent visit to villages, Arora said several farmers had expressed concern over disruptions in electricity services, with many fearing adverse effects on their crops during the peak transplantation season.
He added that Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann is personally monitoring the situation, while Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema and Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO are in regular contact with employee unions to resolve the matter through discussions.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to employee welfare, Arora said the Punjab Government has regularised thousands of contractual employees, provided jobs to youth and addressed several long-pending demands of employees across departments since assuming office.
Appealing to farmer organisations to play a constructive role, Arora urged them to engage with employee unions to help end the strike in the larger public interest.
In his concluding appeal, he said nearly 18,500 PSPCL employees are participating in the strike, affecting around three crore people across Punjab. He maintained that while the government is prepared to address every genuine demand through dialogue, disruption of essential public services cannot be justified.