Year Ender 2025: Powercom remained at loggerheads among the minister, employees and management
Kanwar Inder Singh/ royalpatiala.in News/ December 31,2025
2025 emerged as a year of recognition for the state Powercom sector, but was also marked by unrest among employees and pensioners.
Punjab ensured more than eight hours of uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture sector during the paddy season. Notably, no power cuts were imposed on industrial, residential, or commercial consumers during this period due to well-managed planning by Powercom’s generation and distribution wings.
For the first time, Punjab successfully met its highest-ever peak power demand of 16,670 MW on July 5, 2025 under the command of Harjit Singh, director generation.
The powercom has seen 2 ministers, 3 CMDs in the year 2025. For around 8 months Harbhajan Singh ETO remained the state power minister and after the reshuffling in the state cabinet Sanjeev Arora appointed the power minister in August 2025.
Baldev Singh Sran, who was the regular CMD, PSPCL relinquished the charge on February 6,2025 after his extension period ended. The govt handed over the additional charge of CMD PSPCL/ PSTCL to principal secretary Ajoy Sinha, IAS. He was removed from the charge in the first week of November for not adhering to power minister’s order to suspend Director Generation Harjit Singh. Later the charge of CMD, PSPCL, PSTCL is given to junior, secretary ranked officer Basant Garg, IAS. Later the government specially amended the rules to justify Garg’s placement as CMD, PSPCL, PSTCL. On the other hand no posting is given to Ajoy Sinha, IAS even after two months of his unceremonious exit as principal secretary power, CMD PSPCL, PSTCL. He is to retire on January 31,2026.
PSEB Engineers Association (PSEBEA) has raised questions on the working, interference of both the power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO and Sanjeev Arora and from time to time and requested the chief minister Bhagwant Mann to stop political interfernce and seeks his intervention as head of the government, state
Engineers raised their voice in February this year during the tenure of Harbhajan Singh ETO and demanded impartial “judicial inquiry” into the “party fund” incident to ensure accountability and justice. On February 7,2025 PSEBEA had written a letter to Chief Minister Punjab that some influential political figures in the region are misusing their influence to interfere in the functioning of power corporations and demanding money in the name of party funds.
During Sanjeev Arora’s tenure of less than four months the frequency of protests increased and demands CM Bhagwant Mann’s intervention. “It is alleged that Punjab state power corporation limited (PSPCL) and Punjab state transmission corporation limited (PSTCL) management is planning to sell or lease out powercom’s valuable land, assets, properties located in various parts of Punjab. These include prime properties located in major cities of Punjab such as Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Mohali, etc., where our power houses, offices, stores are situated and some vacant lands that could otherwise be used for the department’s future growth. Such actions could endanger the very existence of PSPCL/PSTCL.
In a major fiasco, power minister Sanjeev Arora had put up a wrong noting recommending the suspension of PSPCL’s DIRECTOR DISTRIBUTION Harjit Singh along with the chief engineer Harish Kumar posted at, GSSTTP Ropar Thermal Plant and GADTPP, Goindwal sahib on October 29,2025 citing financial loss to the powercom over alleged irregularities in fuel costs for power generation. As per records Harjit Singh is not Director Distribution but he was Director Generation when the minister signed, recommended his suspension where as Inderpal Singh is the Director Distribution, PSPCL. Harjit Singh was removed from the post of Director Generation whereas the power minister himself recommended his suspension.
It is alleged that on minister’s direction, PSPCL Director Generation Harjit Singh’s term ended beforehand, chief engineer GGSSTP, Ropar is suspended on the charges of alleged baseless and non- technical facts and this aggravated the situation. The allegations made on both engineers are a wrong comparison of thermal plants based on old subcritical technology with the latest super-critical technique of private thermal plants. After these incidents, Powercom engineer hold a massive display of unity urged the Chief Minister to effectively intervene to restore stability and professional autonomy of PSPCL. Powercom engineers from PSPCL/PSTCL, BBMB, retired senior officers and representatives of various employee and officer unions, participated in a state-level protest meeting held at Patiala on December 2. The meeting was addressed by several senior engineers and employee union.
Powercom management has to take ‘U’ turn on show cause notice issued to another chief engineer on alleged mischievous ground after the engineers sit on dharna inside the director finance, PSPCL room on November 18. This added fuel in power engineer’s agitation.
On December 23, 2025, several key members of the PSEB Engineers’ Association were transferred, a move seen as an attempt to suppress anti-management dissent
Punjab’s power sector engineers, employees, and pensioners have formed a Joint Action Committee (JAC) and resolved to wage a collective struggle on issues concerning the interests of employees, the state, and electricity consumers and to launch a united struggle against what they term “anti–power sector policies.
Adhocisim remained in the state power sector almost throughout the year as no regular CMD is appointed in both PSPCL and PSTCL. The posts of directors remained vacant for most of the time. At present the post of director Generation, Commercial, Administration, HR is still vacant. Even All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) again and again appealed to chief minister Punjab for personal intervention regarding arbitrary actions and adhocism in the Punjab power sector.
Long pending issue of starting scale of AEs is still unresolved as Finance Department has unilaterally directed PSPCL and PSTCL to downgrade the pay scale of Power Engineers whereas the engineers are struggling hard to get it done, approved the per fixed scales. The file is lying with the minister for approval.
As per available information, engineers are demanding the immediate resumption of the 2 × 800 MW supercritical units at Ropar under the state sector announced by the former power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO where as the incumbent power minister is dilly-delaying the issue. Engineers had welcomed the setting up of three 800 MW thermal units in the state. The setting up of two units at Ropar thermal site is a right step as it has the entire necessary infrastructure. Union Power Minister has approved the setting up of these power generation units in the state.
The PSEB Engineers’ Association has again taken up the matter of their “Unresolved Genuine Demands” with the chief minister, power minister and with the management of power corporation
DEMANDS
Immediate halt to the sale/monetisation of power sector properties;
Immediate resumption of the 2 × 800 MW supercritical units at Ropar under the state sector;
Unconditional revocation of the suspension of CE/GGSSTP & Written condemnation to the Power Department regarding the illegal removal of Director/Generation,
Concrete action to stop political interference in technical decision-making.
The JAC has already announced their protest on the beginning of the new year.
“Consumers are hoping that 2026 will bring harmony and better coordination between them, so they do not have to suffer due to the ongoing tussle.”
