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Ludhiana: Protesters demand withdrawal of PSPCL land sale proposal
Employees, farmer unions stage demonstration at Aarti Chowk, demand immediate withdrawal of government plan
Hundreds of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) employees and farmer union members staged a protest at Aarti Chowk on Sunday against the Aam Aadmi Party’s proposal to sell off the PSPCL properties under its Optimum Use of Vacant Government Lands scheme.
In Ludhiana alone, the state government has identified ten PSPCL properties spanning over 50.7 acres for sale, including Power Colony No 2 (21.04 acres), land near GT Road (13.25 acres), Power Colony No 1 (11.12 acres), CMC Division land at Miller Ganj (2.92 acres), and BRS Nagar land (1.189 acres). Additional sites include Pakhowal Road, Phuhara Chowk, Daresi Road, Bassian, and E-substation Subhani building.
The protesters accused the government of attempting to privatise PSPCL assets built over decades with public money. The demonstration, organised jointly by the PSEB Engineers Association, Employees Federation, Retired Engineers Association, Junior Engineers Association, and several farmer unions, saw participants marching through major city roads, blocking traffic for hours.
Union leaders warned the sale would weaken the public utility and benefit private players. “The government is trying to sell the lifeline of Punjab’s power sector under the garb of financial restructuring. The PSPCL is not a loss-making entity. It only needs proper management and timely tariff revisions, not asset liquidation,” said Baldev Singh of the PSEB Employees Federation.
Farmers also voiced concerns about higher agricultural power tariffs. Gurpreet Singh of the Bhartiya Kisan Union said, “This is not just about land. It is about protecting Punjab’s power sector’s sovereignty. We will not allow the corporation’s assets to be handed over to private hands.”
The protesters demanded immediate rollback of the proposal and warned of a statewide agitation if ignored.
