Power engineers’ up ante against DC for threatening to register FIR, issuing a show cause notice; seeks CS’s intervention
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ October 4,2024
With the rise of political temperature in the state ensuing panchayat elections, the temperature of power engineer’s also arisen after the deputy commissioner of Bathinda assign non-departmental duties and issued a show cause notice to power engineer of Bathinda district .
Now, the Punjab state electricity board engineers association (PSEBEA) has written a letter to the chief secretary of Punjab and requested him to intervene in the matter.
Ajaypal Singh Atwal , general secretary of PSEBEA said“in Bathinda district, an orders have been issued assigning all PSPCL/ PSTCL engineers and technical staff to non-departmental duties such as monitoring paddy stubble burning and election-related tasks. Engineers in Bathinda brought this precarious situation to the attention of DC Bathinda. Instead of receiving the expected cooperation, these officers were threatened with FIRs and now have been unjustly served with show cause notices. Despite being aware of the critical challenges facing the state power sector, it appears that a few district administration authorities have deliberately ignored the situation. “
“Such indifferent and high-handed behaviour from DC Bathinda by assigning all engineers of Bathinda on non departmental duties not only disregards the essential role of engineers in planning and maintaining uninterrupted power supply, risks disrupting the region’s energy stability but also has caused widespread resentment among all engineers in the State. If left unchecked these arbitrary actions of DC Bathinda could result in disruptions, including the potential power blackouts. Immediate intervention is required to prevent further escalation of this situation” added Atwal
“In the interest of the state power sector, we humbly request chief secretary Punjab to immediately intervene and request him to issue instructions to DC Bathinda to withdraw such arbitrary show cause notices issued to engineers. Further it is requested that Bathinda District administration be directed to not assign any non departmental/ election duties/ to power engineers and rather be instructed to ensure full cooperation in the interest of the state power sector. On behalf of all engineers, Association assures full cooperation to ensure energy safety of the State” further added Atwal/
Jasvir Singh Dhiman, president PSEBEA said “the Association has consistently raised concerns regarding the severe staff shortages in both power corporations, currently operating with less than 40% of the sanctioned workforce. Assigning non-departmental duties further hampers their ability to carry out core responsibilities, putting the operational efficiency of critical power infrastructure at risk. We are grateful that the State Government and the Election Commission recognised the “essential nature” of the power sector and made the decision to exempt power sector engineers and employees from election/ non-departmental duties. Most district administrations respected these directives and, in the interest of the power sector, refrained from deploying engineers and employees for non-departmental tasks. In instances where such orders were issued, they were promptly withdrawn after the violations were brought to the attention of the district administration authorities. The association acknowledges that this cooperation has helped ensure the uninterrupted operation of the state’s power infrastructure.”
“The PSEB Engineers’ Association, representing over 2,000 power engineers ranging from Assistant Engineers to Engineers-in-Chief, has long been a cornerstone of the Punjab Power Sector. The association consistently prioritises operational excellence and financial discipline, ensuring the state’s energy security remains uncompromised. It is important to emphasise that the engineers in the power sector are committed professionals whose foremost duty is the efficient and reliable operation of Punjab’s power infrastructure” said Ajaypal Singh Atwal, general secretary of PSEBEA.
Power engineers’ up ante against DC for threatening to register FIR, issuing a show cause notice; seeks CS’s intervention. The letter is also forwarded to the power minister, secretary power, CMD/ Directors of PSPCL/ PSTCL.
