This is in reference to News Item “Surplus at thermal plants, of Engineers’ appearing in HT & Punjabi Tribune on 10.9.07. The story is based on wrong data. It has been mentioned that against a combined sanctioned strength of 178 Assistant/Executive Engineers, at Ropar Thermal Plant 208 have been posted.

The fact is that total sanctioned strength of engineers up to the rank of executive engineer at Rpoar is 214 against which 202 Engineers have been posted. Out of 214 the sanctioned strength of Executive Engineers including ex-cadre posts is 105 against which 92 have been posted & against sanctioned strength of 122 Assistant/Assistant Executive Engineers, 110 have been posted. At Lehra Mohabbat, against a sanctioned strength of 103 up to the level of executive engineers, only 83 have been posted and at GNDTP Bathinda 119 Engineers have been posted against sanctioned strength of 146. Thus there is a shortfall of 59 engineers at the Thermal Plants even after induction of 63 newly recruited Assistant Engineers at the these thermal plants.
It is not less than a miracle that thermal plants of PSEB have performed even with such a huge shortfall of trained manpower. Had the experienced engineers not retained at the thermal plants, the power situation in the state would have been worse. To retain the trained manpower at the plants some posts of assistant executive engineers were upgraded temporarily to that of executive engineer. The ex-cadre posts of Executive Engineers have not been withdrawn after appointment of Assistant Engineers because the shortfall of the engineers at lower posts are yet to be filed up by the Board. No employee in excess of sanctioned strength in any cadre can be posted as salary can be disbursed to employees working within the sanctioned strength of the cadre

(Er.R.S.Sarao)
General Secretary