PSEB diploma engineers’ body threatens protest
Umesh Dewan
Tribune News Service

Patiala, February 1
Accusing the PSEB management of buckling under the pressure of certain employees unions to initiate the process for the recruitment of “non-qualified” PSEB linemen as JEs against posts meant to be filled through direct recruitment, leaders of the PSEB Diploma Engineers’ Association have threatened to launch a massive agitation against the board.

It has shot off a letter to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal for taking action in this regard.

The leaders feel that the board management’s action would jeopardise the interest of unemployed diploma engineers in the state.

Association general secretary SS Gill said: “At present, there are 1,000 posts of JE to be filled through the direct recruitment. But we have got to know that the PSEB management has agreed to fill 700 posts by promoting board employees from lower cadre, who are at present working as linemen, notwithstanding the fact that these posts were meant for the direct recruitment quota.”

Claiming that the board is all set to give its approval to this contentious matter at its meeting scheduled for February 2, Association president Gursharan Singh said it would be wrong to promote a lineman to the post of JE, as the lineman do not fulfill the requisite supervisory qualification required as per the Technical Services Class-III regulation.

The association members alleged the board management was moving on a fast track to extend “undue benefits” to non-qualified board employees

They added that the board had not even taken permission from the state government in this regard.