Patiala, December 5
The Punjab government allegedly pressurised the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) into removing System Operations Chief Engineer Padamjit Singh from his post to pave the way for power supply contract to a private firm who had not done similar job and failed to give details of agreements with other companies which would make the supply possible.

The move to transfer Mr Padamjit Singh from his post without giving him other posting has given rise to resentment because of Padamjit’s image of an honest person. He goes about on a bicycle and has worked for the organisation in several capacities. Engineers, sore over the way the board was being run by bureaucrats have also astir and the issue is likely to snowball into major controversy if the matter is not resolved.

The board’s charge that the Chief Engineer was found wanting in official duties and had been neglecting these has been resented by PSEB employees.

Inquiries by The Tribune revealed that the board did not have any proof on the incompetence of the Chief Engineer and that he had not been issued a single communication regarding the neglect of official duties by the board.

The sources revealed that Padamjit had been working beyond official duties by providing useful inputs during the filing of the tariff revision petition and was also being part of the team which had filed the Annual Revenue Requirement (ARR) of the board to the Regulatory Commission recently.

The issue of buying power from KERPL, private firm, even after the board signed an agreement with the Power Trading Corporation, a government undertaking, shows that the board is run by the remote control.

Even senior engineers on the board’s management have decried the manner in which Mr Padamjit is being discredited. “If Padamjit is wanting in his duties, then none else is doing them”, is the common refrain. ‘Chaprasis’ outside the offices of all the top-level officers of the board say Mr Padamjit is one of the few officers who can enter any office without hindrance. “We do not need to ask him whether he has any appointment”, they say.

Engineers and other employees recall the period when Mr Padamjit worked in the Protection Wing of the board for a decade.

“He is one of the rare officers who used to climb up a transformer to verify the fault”, said one officer. Besides improving the functioning of the board during this stint, Mr Padamjit is also credited with doing good job as Chief Engineer, System Operations in which officers disclosed quick and dynamic decisions have to be made to purchase and maintain power supply from various sources and also ensure the board does not suffer loss in case it is not able to avail mandatory power. “Any laxity of the department can result in losses of crores for the board”, another source disclosed.

Meanwhile, PSEB engineers struck work for one hour from 12 noon to 1 pm to resent action against Mr Padamjit and institution of a “false” vigilance inquiry against association President M. S. Bajwa. Mr Padamjit’s cause was also taken up by the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCEEE) with its constituents including the Technical Services Union, the PSEB Employees Federation (AITUC), the Ministerial Services Union, Employees Federation, the PSEB and Council of Junior Engineers, PSEB, condemning the transfer of the Chief Engineer saying such an action would demoralise engineers and employees of the board.

Lehra Mohabbat (Bathinda): Engineers of Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant held a rally here on Thursday against the alleged victimisation of PSEB engineers. The engineers alleged that the PSEB management was harassing engineers in general and leaders of their association in particular for extending benefit to private traders.

They said the board management had accused Mr Padamjit Singh and Ms Bajwa of inefficiency and corruption. They said Mr Padamjit Singh had refused to bow to the pressure of the authorities.

Mr Harnek Singh Jassal, regional secretary of the PSEB Engineers Association, said the board management wanted to benefit a private power trading company for purchasing power but Mr Padamjit Singh had refused to sign some papers to this effect.

The engineers threatened that if he was not reinstated on the post from which he was removed, they would launch an agitation.

Meanwhile, engineers of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant at Bathinda held a pen-down strike today for an hour as per the directive of the central executive of their association. They condemned the actions of the PSEB management.

Ropar: Engineers of Guru Gobind Singh Super Thermal Plant (GGSSTP) here on Thursday struck work for an hour to protest against the ‘callous’ attitude of PSEB management which had transferred Mr Padamjit Singh, Chief Engineer, System Operation, after having ‘failed’ to force him to succumb to the management’s pressure to help a power trading company with alleged ‘unreliable’ credentials.

Mr S.C. Chaba, Joint Secretary of the PSEB Engineers Association, said the engineers felt that this action of the management had exposed the “real inner working” of PSEB management. He also stated that Mr Padamjit Singh, known for simplicity and honesty, had been humiliated for trying to protect the board’s interests. This had demoralised the engineers in general and was a big blow to those few who stood for morality, he added.

He added the association was shocked to note that the PSEB had stated that Mr Padamjit Singh was overlooking official responsibilities.