PSPCL revokes suspension of Chief Engineer of Ropar thermal plant
Decision had triggered strong opposition from PSEB Engineers Association, which termed the move arbitrary and unjustified
Over four months after the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) management placed Harish Sharma, Chief Engineer of the Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant, Ropar, under suspension, his suspension was revoked on Monday.
As per the orders, “The board, after considering the details given in the agenda, the report of the committee formed to examine the matter, the past service of Er. Harish Kumar Sharma and that he is to retire shortly, Alok Shekhar, IAS Nominee Director, and all the Directors present along with the Special Secretary Finance unanimously decided to revoke the suspension of Er. Harish Kumar Sharma, CE (Code No.104684).”
“The board then allowed Dy.CE/Technical to proceed immediately and the requisite order be issued without waiting for minutes, and then passed the following resolution: resolved that the suspension of Er. Harish Kumar Sharma, CE (Code No. 104684), is hereby revoked,” read a PSPCL order dated March 16.
The action against Sharma was initiated amid allegations that the cost of power generation at the plant was significantly higher than at other thermal plants in the state, causing losses of several crores to the corporation.
As per the suspension order, the decision was taken under Regulation 4(1) of the Punishment and Appeal Regulation, 1971. The Chief Engineer, who was also overseeing operations at Shri Guru Amardas Thermal Power Plant, Goindwal Sahib, will remain suspended pending inquiry. His headquarters during the suspension would be the PSPCL Head Office, Patiala.
Despite a captive coal mine at Pachhwara in Jharkhand, the cost of generation at Ropar and Goindwal Sahib plants ranged from Rs 0.75 to Rs 1.25 per unit, higher than other private plants, prompting the management to initiate disciplinary action.
However, the decision had triggered strong opposition from the Power Engineers Association, which termed the move arbitrary and unjustified.
“The recent revocation of the suspension of Er. Harish Sharma, Chief Engineer, PSPCL—after more than four months—has exposed the arbitrary and casual manner in which the Punjab Government dealt with senior officers of the power utility," said PSEB Engineers Association.
“Er. Harish Sharma was suspended on 1 November 2025. However, during the entire period of suspension, no charges were framed, no charge-sheet was issued, and no explanation was ever sought from him. Ultimately, the suspension was revoked unconditionally, demonstrating that the allegations lacked substance," the association added.
PSPCL Engineers Association has welcomed the decision and said comparing the fuel cost of the Ropar thermal plant with modern private supercritical plants such as Talwandi Sabo and Rajpura was technically illogical.
