Ludhiana: The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is grappling with a major operational crisis in its Central Zone, with nearly 70% of its workforce on strike. This has severely affected the ability of the utility to respond to consumer complaints and maintain services.According to official attendance records for July 23, out of a sanctioned strength of 2,557 across the Central Zone, only 752 employees reported for duty. The Central Zone covers the chief office, City East Circle, City West Circle, Suburban Circle Ludhiana and Khanna Circle. Around 29 employees were on earned or medical leave, while 1,775 employees participated in the strike.Protesting employees are demanding regularisation of services, revision of pay scales and an increase in dearness allowance. The ongoing agitation has significantly impacted routine operations, particularly after rainfall in several parts of Ludhiana on Tuesday night triggered widespread electricity-related issues.PSPCL officials said the department received nearly 33,000 complaints from consumers regarding power failures, voltage fluctuations, cable faults and other electricity-related problems. With a large section of the workforce absent, officials said complaint redressal and restoration work faced delays in several localities.Sources in the department said the shortage of manpower has left only one or two officials available at several grid stations, putting additional pressure on staff members on duty.Employees from technical, non-technical and complaint-handling wings have joined the strike over the past two days, creating significant challenges for field operations and maintenance work.Chief engineer Jasdev Singh Hans said officers were making all possible efforts to ensure continuity of services despite the staff shortage.“Currently, we have limited number of officials available for work. Officers are stationed at grid stations to ensure consumers receive the best possible service and uninterrupted supply. However, the situation remains challenging because of the large number of complaints received following the rainfall,” Hans told TOI.He also alleged that an SDO was harassed by residents during duty hours. According to Hans, a group of people from Model Town visited the Duggri 66 KV grid station on Wednesday night and misbehaved with the officer while he was having dinner after working a shift of more than 20 hours.“An official complaint has been filed by PSPCL with the local police station against those involved in the incident,” he said.Hans claimed that there had been several instances this year in which on-duty officials were allegedly threatened or subjected to misconduct by members of the public. He appealed to residents to remain patient and cooperate with field staff during the ongoing crisis.Meanwhile, union leaders maintained that repeated meetings with authorities had failed to address employees’ concerns.Gurpreet Singh Mehdoodan, state secretary of the PSEB Employees Federation (AITUC), said workers across multiple circles had extended support to the agitation.“Our demands have been raised repeatedly in various meetings, but they have not been fulfilled. The strike will continue depending on the joint decisions taken by different unions,” he said.With most employees still participating in the agitation, PSPCL officials fear that complaint resolution and maintenance work could remain affected until a settlement is reached.Box: PSPCL Central Zone Attendance on July 23Circle | Sanctioned Strength | Present | Leave | On StrikeChief Office: 35 | 22 | 2 | 11City East Circle: 411 | 127 | 5 | 278City West Circle: 503 | 182 | 4 | 317Suburban Circle, Ludhiana: 717 | 84 | 4 | 629Khanna Circle: 891 | 337 | 14 | 540Total: 2,557 sanctioned posts | 752 present | 29 on leave | 1,775 on strikeHighlights: Roundup of chaosDepartment receives 33,000 complaints after rainfallPower fault complaints include outages, voltage fluctuations and cable damagePSPCL files police complaint over alleged harassment of Model Town SDOEmployees demand regularisation, DA hike and pay-scale revisionStrike affecting complaint handling and field operations across Ludhiana and Khanna circles
