Govt move to sell off PSPCL land triggers protests in Patiala

The state government’s decision to sell land belonging to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has sparked protests, with employees, engineers, pensioners, and farmer unions joining hands under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC).

Demonstrations were staged at two major locations — 23 Number Fatak where protesters blocked the road outside the power colony, and Mall Road where the movement of traffic was disrupted.

Protesters alleged that PSPCL officials opposing the government’s move were being transferred or suspended.

The agitation, which began on January 2 this year, intensified today with a zonal-level dharna outside the Powercom’s South Zone Office in Shakti Vihar here.

Addressing the gathering, engineers Ajaypal Singh Atwal, Padamjit Singh and Jatinder Garg accused Power Minister Sanjeev Arora of replacing officials opposing the proposal to sell off PSPCL land.

“Ajoy Kumar Sinha, the then Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of PSPCL, was opposed to the proposal of selling the land belonging to power entity. He was removed by the minister,” said Atwal, adding that while corporate wanted to grab the prime land for peanuts, the government was planning to use these funds for freebies.

The JAC leaders further condemned the government’s plan to sell PSPCL’s valuable property taken under the Land Acquisition Act, arguing that it should be reserved for new substations, offices and infrastructure to meet the state’s growing power demand.

They warned that selling these pieces of land would weaken the corporation’s financial base and jeopardise public services.

The protesters also opposed the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill 2025, calling it “anti-people” and warning that it would pave the way for privatisation, eliminate cross-subsidies and burden farmers and low-income households with higher electricity costs. They urged the Punjab Government to strongly oppose the Bill in upcoming central consultations.

Highlighting the need to expand power generation, the JAC demanded an immediate action on the already approved two 800 MW supercritical thermal units at Ropar, which remain stalled.

The committee announced further zonal dharnas in Ludhiana on January 15 and Jalandhar on January 20, warning of a state-level protest at the PSPCL headquarters in Patiala if the government failed to roll back its decision.