The Punjab Government has introduced the Optimum Utilisation of Vacant Government Lands (OUVGL) Scheme 2.0 as a revenue-generating initiative. Under the scheme, prime unutilised state government properties are proposed to be transferred to the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA), which will develop them into residential, commercial and industrial areas before auctioning.
Unions and associations representing Punjab’s power sector have strongly opposed the move, declaring that employees, engineers and officers will resist any attempt to sell or lease valuable lands and assets of the power sector. They argue that properties housing power stations, offices, stores and vacant lands earmarked for future expansion are essential for providing electricity services to the public. The sale, they warn, could endanger the very existence of PSPCL and PSTCL.
A protest demonstration was held against the government’s monetisation plan and a memorandum was handed over to PSPCL management by leaders of all associations and unions. In Patiala, PSPCL properties spread over 55 acres near 23 Number Phatak, along with flats constructed for employees, are among those identified. In Ludhiana, 40 PSPCL properties located on GT Road besides Power Colony at Sarabha Nagar have also been listed.
The Power Sector Joint Action Committee (PSJAC) has demanded that the government immediately halt the process of preparing lists of PSPCL properties for sale, insisting that these lands should be reserved for the corporation’s future projects.
Former Power Secretary E.A.S. Sarma, in a letter to the Chief Secretary, termed the proposed sale “completely illegal” and “highly imprudent.” He noted that most PSPCL lands were acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894, for a public purpose and transferring them to private agencies would constitute a violation of statutory requirements and a breach of public trust. PSJAC has been agitating against unilateral decisions taken by PSPCL on the directions of the Power Minister to sell prime lands meant for the development of Punjab’s power sector.
