Chandigarh, August 11:
Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO has made a fervent appeal to employees of Powercom carrying strike to end their agitation and return to work immediately in view of the larger public interest especially amid the ongoing summer season at the time of high power demand.
The Minister emphasized that uninterrupted power supply is crucial for households, agriculture, and industrial sectors thus the agitating employees should resume the duties. He said that the prolonged strikes could cause significant hardship to millions of consumers, which should not be suffered at any cost. He assured the employees that the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has shown utmost sincerity and responsiveness in addressing their concerns.
Giving details on recent developments, Harbhajan Singh ETO said that a crucial meeting was convened on August 10, at local Punjab Bhawan between the PSPCL administration and representatives of the Powercom employees Joint Forum and Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch chaired jointly by him and the Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema. During the deliberations, the PSPCL administration gave its consent to accept almost all key demands put forth by the employees.
The demands includes the creation of new posts and filling of existing vacancies, an increase in ex-gratia amount, Stoppage recovery in compassionate cases till the final decision, provision of cashless medical facilities to employees, release of pending allowances, clearance of overdue overtime payments for grid substation staff and some cases of pension revisions, said ETO. The government has also promised special attention towards repairing and maintaining PSPCL buildings, he added.
“Given that most of the demands have been addressed thus it is now neither fair nor reasonable for employees to continue strike,” said the Minister. He stressed that the state government has committed for the well-being of its employees and always ready to resolve their issues amicably. Harbhajan Singh ETO further stated that while the bulk of the demands have been met, the doors of the state government always open for constructive dialogue on any remaining matters. He appealed to the employees to rise above the agitation and consider the welfare of the public, reiterating that unity between the workforce and the administration is essential for ensuring Punjab’s power sector further strong, efficient, and consumer-friendly.
The Power Minister expressed confidence that the striking employees would respond positively to the government’s gesture of goodwill. He said that with the state government having given its consent to most of their legitimate demands, he hoped the employees would reciprocate by ending the agitation and resuming duties without further delay. Harbhajan Singh ETO added that such cooperation would not only ensure normalcy in power supply but also strengthen mutual trust between the workforce and the administration, paving the way for continued progress in Punjab’s power sector.
