Powercom Engineers Protest Against Political Interference is gaining momentum as the PSEB Engineers Association announced a statewide agitation starting November 26. Powercom Engineers Protest Against Political Interference began after the engineers opposed the sale of PSPCL and PSTCL assets, the suspension of the Ropar Thermal Chief Engineer, and delays in setting up the 2×800 MW supercritical units at Ropar.
General Secretary Ajaypal Singh Atwal said engineers repeatedly raised their concerns with the Power Minister, CMD of PSPCL, and senior officials. Since no action followed, engineers now feel compelled to intensify their protest. He added that political interference in technical and administrative decisions threatens the state’s power sector.
On Wednesday, the Association met Heads of Departments in Patiala to review the issues. Engineers argued that the Chief Engineer’s suspension stemmed from a unilateral note by the Power Minister, even though rules clearly say that only the committee of whole-time members can act against senior engineers. They also highlighted that only a selection committee can recommend the removal of any PSPCL director under the Companies Act.
The engineers condemned attempts to pressure officers and announced their first steps: exiting all official WhatsApp groups from November 26 and holding a state-level protest at Patiala in December. They warned that the agitation will escalate if the demands remain unaddressed.
