Bathinda, January 6
Joint Action Committee of Power Corporation employees, engineers and pensioners today held 2nd Zonal Protest at Bathinda against the sale of Power Corporation properties, scrapping of the Draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2025 and the demand to setup of two super critical 800 MW units at thermal plant Ropar under the state sector.
Ajaypal Singh Atwal, General Secretary of the Engineers’ Association cum Secretary Joint Action Committee said in a press release that various employees and engineers leaders addressed the gathering. JAC leadership stated that the Punjab Government is planning to sell valuable land assets of PSPCL, a highly imprudent decision acquired under the land acquisition Act, 1894 for public purpose. They demanded that this counterproductive sale process should immediately be halted and the land should be well utilized for expanding activities of PSPCL rather than placing those in the hands of real estate agents.
JAC further stated that power generation capacity of Punjab state is required to be enhanced and the central government has already approved the setting up of two new 800 MW supercritical thermal units at Ropar and these should be setup in the state sector.
JAC condemned the central government’s plans for paving ways to the Draft Electricity Amendment Bill 2025, which will open the doors of the electricity distribution sector for private companies. Role of state government will be restricted and the central government would have direct involvement in the state power sector. Cross subsidies will be eliminated. Electricity charges will be determined on a ‘Cost to serve’ basis. The State Government strongly opposes this attempt in the best interest of poor consumers, low-income households and farmers.
