Thaindian News

Chandigarh, April 14 (IANS) The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has asked hospitals, railway authorities and other essential services across the state to make alternate arrangements in view of the strike call Thursday and Friday by the PSEB employees to oppose privatisation.
Essential services like hospitals, public health and railways have been asked by PSEB officials to ensure that they have a back-up plan ready if power supply is disrupted by the protesting employees.

“Most of these (essential) services have their own generators and other arrangements in case of a power failure. We have asked them to keep alternate arrangements ready in case of any eventuality as a result of the strike,” PSEB chairman H.S. Brar said here.

“Though we have made arrangements to ensure regular power supply to all areas, the protesting staff may create some hindrance,” he added.

The agitating employees’ unions are opposing the privatisation of the PSEB which the state government has been putting off for the last two to three years.

With the Punjab government announcing that the unbundling of the PSEB would start Thursday, the employees’ unions have announced a two-day strike and are likely to intensify their agitation in the coming days.

With the temperature soaring in recent days across north India, including Punjab, consumers across the state could face difficulty in case of power supply disruption.

“Things can only get worse. Already, the PSEB forces power cuts from 6-12 hours everyday. If the employees also go on strike, it is the common man who will suffer the most. Students are the worst sufferers these days with erratic power supply during examination days,” said Sarban Singh, a private-sector employee from Patiala.

Employees unions had gone on a sudden strike March 30 also to oppose the privatisation move and seek redressal of their demands for employees’ welfare.

The new strike call was given after repeated rounds of talks between the state government and the unions failed to work out a solution.

“We are opposed to the privatisation of the PSEB as it is not likely to serve any purpose. We have told the government that the privatisation of electricity boards in other states has not been a success and the same should not be done here,” said a leader of the technical employees union.

The PSEB is into cumulative losses of hundreds of crores of rupees annually and is unable to meet the rising demand for electricity in the state.