Two weeks after police lathi-charged protesting members of the 2600 Apprenticeship Lineman Union for blocking the entry gates of the PSPCL headquarters in Patiala, the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) has decided to absorb 2,437 apprentice trainees as Assistant Linemen (ALMs).
Background of the Protest
Several members of the Apprenticeship Lineman Union had been sitting atop overhead water tanks to press the government for their recruitment. The protest escalated when police used force to disperse the demonstrators, drawing criticism and attention from the state's top leadership.
Chief Minister's Intervention
A PSPCL official confirmed that the recruitment decision was taken after Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann took serious note of the police action against the union members. The CM issued special instructions to expedite the absorption process.
Administrative Secretary, Power-cum-Chairman and Managing Director, PSPCL, Dr Basant Garg, said that special instructions had been issued by the CM to absorb 2,437 apprentice trainees as Assistant Linemen (ALMs) at the earliest.
Formal Announcement
Making a formal announcement from Punjab Bhawan, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema stated, “The Board of Directors of PSPCL has accorded approval for the absorption of 2,437 apprentice trainees as Assistant Linemen (ALMs). The trainees are presently undergoing apprenticeship training in the Lineman Trade in PSPCL and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL).”
The cabinet minister added that PSPCL will conduct the mandatory Punjabi language examination for the said trainees as a one-time relaxation. The examination schedule will be notified in due course on the official website of PSPCL, following which the process of absorption will be taken forward.
Recruitment Statistics
Cheema further revealed that a total of 9,627 recruitments have been made in PSPCL and PSTCL since April 2022. Of these, 8,048 were through direct recruitment and 1,579 on compassionate grounds.
Earlier this year, appointment letters were handed over by CM Bhagwant Singh Mann to 570 candidates belonging to various categories. The recruitment process for approximately 3,000 additional posts is presently underway and is likely to be completed by November 2026.
