Bathinda plant staff stares at uncertain future
600 contractual jobs are on the line as government scraps the 44yearold project; staff in protest mode despite govt assurances
The Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Power Plant ran for three days without a break to power the Asian Games of 1982.
With the Punjab government announcing that the plant will shut down on January 1, 2018, life will never be the same again for thousands whose lives are associated with its functioning. Hundreds of employees fear losing their jobs.
For each job lost, there will be collateral loss of work for domestic helps, grocers, vendors and other service providers.
BATHINDA: The Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Power Plant ran for three days without a break to power the Asian Games of 1982. With the Punjab government announcing that the plant will shut down on January 1, 2018, life will never be the same again for thousands whose lives are associated with its functioning.
Hundreds of employees, especially the 600 on contract, fear losing their jobs. For each job lost, there will be collateral loss of work for domestic helps, grocers, vendors and other service providers.
The plant, where the first two units were commissioned in the early 1970s, brought employment and boosted economy for more than four decades. Now, the narrative is set to change.
‘I SHIFTED 300KM, WAS IT FOR THIS?’
The government has labeled the plant unviable, saying it can buy power from other states at cheaper rates. However, protesters accuse the government of bluffing. The disquiet is deep.
Jagwant Singh, 25, a helper at the plant, shifted to Bathinda in 2013 from Mukerian in Hoshiarpur district. On contract, he had hopes of regularisation. That never happened. “I shifted 300km. Now, I will be out of a job,” he said. Sukhwinder Singh, 53, another helper, who joined on contract 15 years ago, is still not regularised, drawing ₹8,500 a month.
‘NO INTIMATION FROM GOVT ON CONTRACT JOBS’
To arrange staff for these oddend jobs, the PSPCL signs a deal with contractors on an annual basis. The five contractors facilitating the plant are worried about the loss of income, if these jobs are cut. The contractors receive salaries of workers and distribute it further. “There has been no intimation from either the government or the PSPCL on the fate of such employees,” said contractor Baljit Singh Brar, who has the charge of nearly 100 workers.
THREE LAKES WILL ALSO GO
Three lakes, spread over 150 acres, are part of sprawling 2,200 acres of the plant. Former deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had announced that the government would link lake numbers 2 and 3 to introduce house boats. Nothing came of it.
‘ORDERS TO SHIFT 100 REGULAR EMPLOYEES IN’
When contacted, GNDTP general manager VK Garg, said there had ‘no official communication’ regarding the cabinet decision on December 20 to shut the plant. He acknowledged receiving orders to shift 100 regular employees to the nearby Lehra thermal power plant ‘as per manpower demand there’.
NO RETRENCHMENT OF ANY STAFF: GOVT
Principal secretary, power, A Venu Prasad said, “No retrenchment of any staff will take place. We are in the process of transferring regular employees to the distribution wing of the PSPCL. Nothing has been decided on the assets.”
WISTFUL LOOK BACK
At the Kothe Amanpura village, 59-year-old employee, Gurmej Singh, who has a few months to retirement, says, “I remained beneath a furnace for three days during the 1982 Asian Games. The order was that the power supply should not drop,” he says. His colleague Ranjit Singh, who retired three years ago, says the plant was often ranked the best. Ranjit hailed from Ferozepur and Gurmej from Gurdaspur. In its heydays, the plant acted as a magnet for several families from Majha and Doaba.
I am the only earning member of my family. I am still on contract and the loss of job at this stage leaves me helpless. What will I do? SUKHWINDER SINGH, helper You will find scores of workers like me, who joined on contract for several years back but their jobs were not regularised. Now, we are helpless. JAGWANT SINGH, helper