Tarn Taran: Powercom functioning hit as employees abstain from work on 2nd day of protest

On the second-day of their three-day mass casual leave, employees of the Powercom abstained from their duty on Tuesday and lodged their protest by staging dharnas at different places in the district resulting in disruption of the working of the powercom.

The employees are on the agitation path on the call of 14 unions of the employees and two of the pensioners. The employees along with pensioners staged a dharna in front of the Circle Officer of the powercom in Tarn Taran on Tuesday.

Gurpreet Singh Gandiwind, Gurbhej Singh Dhillon, Major Singh Mallia, Puran Das, Amarjit Singh Marimegha and Lakhbir Singh Sandhu were among the leaders of different unions who participated in the agitation.

They condemned the state government and the management of the PSPCOM and PSTCOM for their indifferent attitude towards the genuine demands of the employees and the pensioners. The leaders expressed their satisfaction at the response given to the agitation. All the offices of the powercom wore a deserted look and field staff too was not present to attend complaints to remove defect in the power supply.

The leaders said the main demand of the agitating unions was to review the move to privatise the powercom.

Mohtam Singh, Deputy Chief Engineer (DCE) of the powercom’s local Circle, said to handle working with few employees was really a difficult task and troubles were being faced by officials. The DCE said 74 per cent staff was on mass casual leave and the percentage of staff on duty was the same as was on Monday.

Gurpreet Singh Gandiwind, state leader of the agitating unions, claimed that more than 80 per cent employees responded to the mass casual leave call.