Double protests paralyse power restoration in Ludhiana
he crisis has worsened as regular PSPCL staff are also on a ‘work-to-rule’ protest, restricting their duties to eight-hour shifts and refusing to attend phone calls from 5 pm to 9 am, even in emergencies
Residents across Ludhiana are facing prolonged power outages as the routine operations of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) remain severely disrupted by ongoing protests from both outsourced and regular employees. This double whammy has crippled the power restoration efforts, leaving several localities in the dark for over 20 hours on Wednesday.
Notably, around 1,230 outsourced employees, working as complaint-handling bike and wagon staff across Ludhiana district, have been on a statewide strike from July 1, suspending services that resolve power outage complaints registered through the 1912 helpline, officials familiar with the matter said.
The crisis has worsened as regular PSPCL staff are also on a ‘work-to-rule’ protest, restricting their duties to eight-hour shifts and refusing to attend phone calls from 5 pm to 9 am, even in emergencies.
These regular employees are on protest from June 25 over pending demands such as regular recruitment of vacant posts, roll-back of privatisation, improved safety tools and infrastructure, better working conditions, proper compensation for workers who died during duty, especially in the last paddy season and cashless treatment for injured employees.
These simultaneous protest has hit the power restoration efforts in the district. As a result, several localities facing technical faults are experiencing major delays in supply restoration. In similar instances, areas such as Hazuri Bagh Colony, Ajit Nagar, Gagandeep Colony, and Altamas Colony in City West division reported outages lasting over 20 hours on Wednesday.
{{/usCountry}}These simultaneous protest has hit the power restoration efforts in the district. As a result, several localities facing technical faults are experiencing major delays in supply restoration. In similar instances, areas such as Hazuri Bagh Colony, Ajit Nagar, Gagandeep Colony, and Altamas Colony in City West division reported outages lasting over 20 hours on Wednesday.
{{/usCountry}}According to residents of Hazuri Bagh Colony, the area experienced a power outage around 9 am on Tuesday, which was restored by evening. However, just a few hours later, another outage occurred around 8.30 pm and continued until 5.30 pm the following day.
{{/usCountry}}According to residents of Hazuri Bagh Colony, the area experienced a power outage around 9 am on Tuesday, which was restored by evening. However, just a few hours later, another outage occurred around 8.30 pm and continued until 5.30 pm the following day.
{{/usCountry}}Residents further added that they tried registering multiple complaints through the PSPCL helpline but received no response.
{{/usCountry}}Residents further added that they tried registering multiple complaints through the PSPCL helpline but received no response.
{{/usCountry}}When contacted, XEN Gurmanpreet Singh from PSPCL’s Fountain Chowk office said, “The outage occurred due to technical faults in two 100 KVA transformers on Tuesday evening. The issue was rectified, and supply restored by Wednesday morning.”
{{/usCountry}}When contacted, XEN Gurmanpreet Singh from PSPCL’s Fountain Chowk office said, “The outage occurred due to technical faults in two 100 KVA transformers on Tuesday evening. The issue was rectified, and supply restored by Wednesday morning.”
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, a senior PSPCL official, commenting on the ongoing strike by both regular and contractual workers, said, “The situation is dire. The department is already facing a severe manpower crunch, with nearly 70% of technical posts in the district lying vacant. To make matters worse, the outsourced workers, who play a critical role in ensuring quick resolution of technical faults in the power infrastructure are also on strike.”
The official further noted that such strikes have become frequent and often occur without notice, taking a toll on our routine operations. The state government and PSPCL management must intervene and address their demands to prevent further inconvenience to both the department and the public.”
