Chandigarh: Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO has appealed to striking Powercom employees to end their agitation and return to work in the public interest, especially during peak summer demand. Stressing that uninterrupted power supply is vital for households, agriculture, and industry, he warned that prolonged strikes would cause severe hardship to millions.
The Minister assured staff that the state government, led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, has acted sincerely to address their concerns. On August 10, a meeting at Punjab Bhawan, chaired by him and Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, brought together PSPCL officials and leaders from the Joint Forum and Bijli Mulazam Ekta Manch. The PSPCL agreed to meet most key demands, including creating new posts, filling vacancies, raising ex-gratia amounts, halting recoveries in compassionate cases, providing cashless medical facilities, releasing pending allowances, clearing overdue overtime for grid staff, and revising pensions in certain cases.
Harbhajan Singh ETO urged employees to reciprocate the government’s goodwill, noting that the majority of demands have been resolved and the door remains open for dialogue on pending issues.
He expressed confidence that cooperation would restore normal power supply, build mutual trust, and strengthen Punjab’s power sector.