Patiala protest Archives - India Podcast

Powercom Employees Protest Electricity Bill and Privatisation

Neha Kumari — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 06:22:39 +0000

Powercom Employees Protest Electricity Bill and Privatisation, raising strong concerns across the country. Powercom Employees Protest Electricity Bill in Patiala as engineers and unions joined the nationwide agitation against the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025. They stood in solidarity with Uttar Pradesh power employees, who have completed one year of continuous resistance to the privatisation push.

Lakhs of engineers and employees participated in the national protest under the banner of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE). Their core message remained clear: the bill threatens the public power structure.

In Varanasi, AIPEF chairman Shalendra Dubey warned that the Centre must reconsider its policy. Otherwise, engineers across India will intensify their agitation. He stated that privatisation will increase tariffs, making electricity unaffordable for low-income families and farmers.

Moreover, AIPEF media advisor V. K. Gupta confirmed that protests took place in all states, including Patiala, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand. Major cities such as Hyderabad, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata also witnessed strong participation.

In Patiala, engineers organised a coordinated demonstration to support the Uttar Pradesh movement. They demanded that the Centre withdraw the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, and stop all privatisation attempts to protect consumers and employees.

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Powercom Engineers Protest Against Political Interference Escalates

Neha Kumari — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 05:26:40 +0000

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.

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