Another recruitment jolt in Punjab: PSPCL cancels 3,000 posts
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ April 17,2026
Another setback has hit the recruitment process in Punjab, as the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has cancelled the recruitment of 3,000 Assistant Linemen posts that were announced on April 7, 2026.
The cancellation order came after hundreds of ITI pass-outs undergoing apprenticeship with PSPCL staged protests and blocked roads outside the Powercom headquarters in Patiala. The protesters opposed the requirement of a written test for recruitment to the Assistant Lineman posts and demanded that it be scrapped.
PSPCL had announced direct recruitment for 3,000 Assistant Linemen, while around 2,600 apprentices currently undergoing training in the state were expecting regular employment upon completion of their training.
Punjab Power Minister Sanjeev Arora has called a delegation of the protesting candidates for a meeting on April 16, 2026 and today PSPCL issues the cancellation of those 3000 posts.
This is not the first such instance. In December 2025, the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB) cancelled the recruitment process for 42 Research Assistant posts in the Punjab Language Department (Bhasha Vibhag), advertised under Advertisement No. 05 of 2023. The board issued a public notice in the second week of December, citing “legal and administrative reasons” for the cancellation.
In the same month, the Punjab government also cancelled the recruitment process for 343 psychologist posts to be hired on a contract basis for de-addiction and rehabilitation societies under the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare. This decision was taken despite the completion of the written examination and document verification.
In a letter dated December 18, the Director of Health and Family Welfare stated that the recruitment process for all 343 psychologist posts had been cancelled with immediate effect due to administrative reasons.
