Badal promises to consult PSEB employees before unbundling of board
Punjab Newsline Network
Wednesday, 09 December 2009
CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said here Wednesday that the interests of the state, the Electricity Board, the people and the employees would be kept in view while arriving at a decision on the unbundling of the Punjab State Electricity Board.

In a statement here, Badal said that any apprehension in the minds of any concerned party was pre-mature at this stage as no final decision in this regard had yet been taken. He said that he had met the Union Minister for Power Mr. Sushil Kumar Shinde recently to seek extension of the deadline and the extension had been given. He said that the state government had repeatedly sought and received such extensions from the center in the past also. He said that he had personally intervened in the matter to secure these extensions.

The Chief Minister further said the government would take the employees of the PSEB and other affected parties into confidence while taking a final decision.

Meanwhile, a delegation of farmers unions called upon the Chief Minister in this regard here this evening. Badal re-iterated the government's known stance in the matter and assured the delegation that no decision had yet been taken on unbundling of the PSEB.

Those who met the Chief Minister included the Kirti Kisan Sabha president Prem Singh, the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan, the Inqlabi Mazdoor Sabha President Hardev Singh Kheri, the Kisan Sangharash Committee President, Kamal Preet Singh Pannu and the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union Zora Singh.

Editor's note: Punjab Chief Minister has no power to stop unbundling of Punjab State Electricity Board(PSEB) since the decision to disband PSEB is taken by center governement under Electricity Act of 2003 which is applicable to all the states. As an exception Punjab Government has been given another extension. Otherwise Parkash Singh Badal is misguiding the people.