Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) is facing a severe manpower shortage, with only 1,568 employees in position against 3,419 sanctioned posts in key operational categories, officials on said Monday, adding that the situation has worsened due to an ongoing strike by outsourced workers and deployment of staff for census-related duties.
Officials said the shortage had affected power complaint handling, maintenance work and grid operations, with several categories functioning with barely 30% of the required workforce.
According to official data, the shortage is most acute in field staff positions. Out of 1,224 sanctioned lineman posts, only 674 employees are available, while 849 assistant linemen (ALMs) are working against 2,195 sanctioned posts.
The junior engineer (JE) category is also facing a shortfall, with 233 employees working against 467 sanctioned posts.
Officials said the situation had worsened further due to the ongoing strike by more than 1,000 CHB employees. The outsourced workers had remained on strike for nearly 15 days in April and have again resumed agitation, affecting complaint handling and field operations.
“Managing operations has become extremely difficult because of the staff shortage. Whatever staff are available, they are working round the clock and beyond normal duty hours to maintain supply and attend complaints,” said chief engineer Jagdev Singh Hans.
{{/usCountry}}“Managing operations has become extremely difficult because of the staff shortage. Whatever staff are available, they are working round the clock and beyond normal duty hours to maintain supply and attend complaints,” said chief engineer Jagdev Singh Hans.
{{/usCountry}}Officials said grid operations were also under pressure as employees had been shifted from divisions to manage manpower shortages at substations. “Only two employees are currently handling operations at several grids. Around 18 employees were recently relieved from divisions and shifted to grid duties because manpower management was becoming difficult,” an official said.
The corporation has also witnessed large-scale transfers in recent weeks. Officials said around 37 transfers took place during April, while no fresh staff had joined against vacant positions.
Sources said technical staff shortages had become more significant following recent weather-related disruptions and increasing summer load demand. Officials said mostly non-technical employees had been assigned census duty and no chief office employees were deputed, but warned that any further diversion of operational staff could worsen the situation.
“Non-technical employees have largely been assigned census work, but if more staff are diverted for such duties, operational difficulties will increase further. We will raise this issue with the deputy commissioner through official communication,” a PSPCL official said.