Power engineers of PSPCL and PSTCL under the banner of PSEB Engineers’ Association protested against the Electricity (Amendment ) Bill 2018.

The meeting of power engineers from Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited was addressed by president Sanjeev Sood, general secretary Devinder Goyal, senior vice-president Harjinder Singh Bansal and patron of the association Padamjit Singh.

Members expressed their strong opposition over the unilateral amendment in Electricity Act 2003 wherein the central government has proposed division of carriage and content which will put the power utilities in backward mode. Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2018 further divides the unbundled electricity industry.

Padamjit Singh said that the electricity is a concurrent subject and central government is trying to control the complete power sector of the states. This is against the provisions of constitution.The house resolved that Punjab government should take up this issue with the central government as electricity is a concurrent subject and the proposed amendments are against the basic nature of the federal structure of the country.

Padamjit further said that the Electricity (Amendment ) Bill is a way to push privatisation in power distribution through back-door. The experiment of multiple licencees in an area has already failed and the power supply cost has increased.

The members also condemned the proposed amendment regarding interference of central government in the matter of tariff policy which makes it mandatory for states to follow tariff policy.

It was also resolved that the anomaly of two types of pay scales of assistant engineers in PSPCL should be cleared and single starting scale of ?18,030 should be granted to all the assistant engineers as the same has already been granted to all other categories.