Even as protests by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) employees intensified following the Corporation’s decision to terminate the services of Director (Generation) Harjeet Singh and suspend the chief engineer of the Ropar and Goindwal Sahib thermal plants, a deeper structural issue has come into focus: PSPCL is currently operating with only two full-time directors from its cadre, raising concerns over decision-making and governance in the power sector.
The Punjab government had fired Director (Generation) Harjit Singh and suspended the chief engineer over ‘discrepancies’ in fuel cost management at state-run thermal power plants.
Notably, the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) was unbundled into PSPCL and the Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) on April 16, 2010. Over the years, director-level posts such as Administration, Commercial, Distribution, Generation, Finance, Human Resources (HR) and Technical were created across the two corporations. Of these, the post of Director (Technical) is in PSTCL, where the position is currently filled.
However, on the PSPCL side, only Director (Finance) S K Beri and Director (Commercial) Inderpal Singh remain as the corporation’s full-time technocrat directors. Government-appointed directors – IAS officers Bhawna Garg and Alok Shekhar – along with Basant Garg, who serves simultaneously as power secretary and chief managing director (CMD) of both PSPCL and PSTCL, continue to occupy their positions.
The shortage of full-time directors worsened after PSPCL terminated the services of the Director (Generation) on November 4. An office order issued by CMD Basant Garg on November 8 redistributed charges among the remaining directors, stating: “Director Distribution will look after the charge of Director Generation and Director Commercial, while Director/Finance will look after the charge of Director HR and Director Administration, till further orders.”
This means that the two technocrat directors from PSPCL are currently holding three charges each, a situation the PSEB Engineers’ Association (PSEBEA) said is ‘unsustainable’.
In a letter to the Punjab chief minister in March this year, PSEBEA had urged the government to fill vacant director-level positions before the onset of the paddy season, but no appointments have been finalised yet. Although the selection process for Director Commercial (PSPCL), Director HR (PSPCL) and Director Technical (PSTCL) began in 2024, the power department “has been unable to complete the process till date,” the Association said.
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PSEBEA members pointed out that such ad-hoc arrangements are undermining the functioning of both corporations. “These crucial posts lying vacant are not only disrupting decision-making but also creating uncertainty, affecting the operational efficiency of the power sector and hampering long-term planning,” the Association noted.
They further highlighted that since the retirement of technocrat CMD Baldev Singh Sra in February this year, the posts of CMD PSPCL and PSTCL have been handled by the Power Secretary as an additional charge – a practice the Association has repeatedly opposed. Several other key technical posts – such as Member Power, Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB); Member Technical, Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC); and Chief Electrical Inspector – have either remained vacant or are being run through additional charge for long periods.
PSEBEA has consistently demanded separate CMDs for PSPCL and PSTCL and the appointment of regular technocrat directors to ensure autonomy and technical independence within the corporations. The situation worsened after November 4, when the number of full-time directors dropped from three to two following the termination of Director (Generation), said PSEBEA members.
“With PSPCL-nominated directors now fewer in number and holding multiple charges, it directly leads to increased government interference,” said Ajaypal Singh Atwal, General Secretary, PSEBEA. “We presently have only two whole-time PSPCL directors and three government-nominated directors on the board. These posts must be filled urgently to bring clarity, balance and transparency in decision-making,” he added.
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As protests by PSPCL employees continue over ‘political interference’ and disciplinary actions, the internal imbalance in the corporation’s leadership structure has added another layer of tension, intensifying demands for immediate reforms in Punjab’s power sector governance.
