PSPCL staff, pensioners get partial payments

Tribune News Service

Aman Sood

Patiala, February 1

Thousands of employees and pensioners of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) were in for a rude shock when they received part payment of salary and pension in their bank accounts without any prior intimation. Power sector employees are now up in arms against the government for pushing the sector into a financial mess ‘for political mileage against free power’.

Insiders confirmed to The Tribune that the pensioners, who were getting somewhere between Rs 50,000 to around Rs 1,40,000 per month pension today received only Rs 20,000. “Lower-rung officials up to senior engineers who get salaries of over Rs 1.5 lakh per month today received merely Rs 30,000,” an official said.

In January, the PSPCL took a loan of Rs 800 crore to manage various payments and still it failed to release salaries. “Despite an acute shortage of staff and extreme weather conditions, employees have been performing beyond their prescribed duties. Over Rs 8,500 crore is pending towards the government for free power it has supplied in the past years. This is pushing the power sector towards bankruptcy,” Jasvir Singh Dhiman, president of the PSEB Engineers Association.

“Consumers are applying for new connections and in some houses we have over three meters and none gets a bill as their consumption is under 300 units. On a conservative average, it is adding over Rs 125 crore per month in the subsidy amount,” a top PSPCL functionary said.

The Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) in its tariff order for 2023-24 estimated a total subsidy of Rs 18,714.51 crore.

Meanwhile a joint protest rally was today held at PSPCL head office at Patiala by PSEB Engineers Association, Joint Forum, JE Council, Bijli Mulajam Ekta Manch, Accounts Association and HR Officers Association in protest against non-payment of current subsidy bills, pendency of previous subsidy bills by the government and also non-payment of bills above Rs 3,100 crore by various government departments. “If the government is unable to afford the subsidy bill, then the government must review its subsidy policy as the financial health of PSPCL is deteriorating,” they stated.

All efforts to contact CMD, PSPCL, Baldev Singh Sran went futile as he was on leave.

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