Retired employees have not received their pensions and other outstanding dues over the past year. Officials are providing misleading responses even to complaints lodged on the Prime Minister's Portal

Retired employees have not received their pensions and other outstanding dues over the past year. Officials are providing misleading responses even to complaints lodged on the Prime Minister's Portal—demand for strict action raised by Amrik Singh, President, UT Powermen Union.

Dozens of employees transferred from the Electricity Department to the private company, CPDL, are struggling to withdraw their own funds from their GPF accounts. Withdrawals from GPF—even for purposes such as housing loans and children's weddings—have been prohibited. Employees are distressed, while officials have been stalling with excuses for over a year. A declaration of an all-out struggle will be made on May Day—Gopal Dutt Joshi, General Secretary of the Union and President of the Federation.

Chandigarh 22 April ( Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal ) : The UT Powermen Union, Chandigarh, has strongly condemned the Engineering Department and the officials operating illegally under its aegis in the name of the STU (State Transmission Utility) and SLDC (State Load Despatch Centre). The Union has alleged that, under the guise of reform, a fraudulent racket has been operating in Chandigarh; furthermore, regarding the bidding process conducted in 2020, all actions taken to date have been driven solely by opportunism and self-interest. Far from bringing about improvement, the so-called reforms in Chandigarh's power sector have led to a continuous deterioration of services. Moreover, the entire privatization process has been executed in contravention of the Electricity Act, 2003, and the decisions of the Union Cabinet—a matter that warrants a high-level inquiry. 

It is pertinent to note that, with the exception of Kerala and Himachal Pradesh (where a single entity manages generation, transmission, and distribution), the rest of the country features separate government—and in some cases, private—companies operating independently across the generation, transmission, and distribution sectors. However, the "reform" implemented in Chandigarh amounts to nothing more than plunging the future of 340 regular employees and 500 contractual workers into darkness. For the past year and three months—since January 31, 2025—neither the government-owned transmission company nor the SLDC has been functionally operational. The entire system continues to run on the same old, outdated pattern. The government company established by the administration in 2022 remains confined to paper records, while the administration's Chief Engineer (Civil) continues to oversee and manage the system. Such an anomalous system exists nowhere else in the country. 

It is worth noting once again that, under the Central Government's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' (Self-Reliant India) policy, the Union Cabinet had decided *solely* on the privatization of electricity distribution. However, the Chief Engineers, Superintending Engineers, and Executive Engineers of that time included transmission assets in the bidding process and subsequently sold them off. This was an entirely erroneous decision, and both the Central Government and administrative officials were kept in the dark regarding it—a matter that warrants a high-level inquiry. This decision inflicted immense hardship upon the employees; conversely, the officials secured their own positions under the banners of the STU, SLDC, EI, and SDA. To this day, they continue to serve as government employees—governed by Central Service Rules—and retire from government service, receiving their pension, gratuity, GPF, and other entitlements within a mere two months of retirement. In stark contrast, those employees who were involuntarily transferred—pushed into the private company against their will under the assurance that the transfer would remain 'provisional' for one year—have received no payments for over a year now. This situation persists despite their repeated submission of memorandums, earnest appeals, and even formal applications filed via the Administrator's office and the Prime Minister's Portal; furthermore, officials are reportedly furnishing false information even on the Prime Minister's Portal.

The Union has alleged that transferred employees are being denied access to their GPF funds—currently held with the Accountant General (AG)—which they require for purposes such as purchasing plots or houses, or for their children's weddings. The administration is withholding these funds on the pretext that no payments will be released until a court verdict is delivered. Halting payments on such grounds reflects a negative and obstructive mindset on the part of the officials; notably, the court has issued a stay order specifically against the *transfer* of GPF funds from the AG's office to a private trust—not against the *disbursement* of these funds to the employees. Since this money constitutes the employees' own accumulated savings, it ought to be released to them in accordance with the established rules of the Accountant General.

On the other hand, the very administration that claims "no harm will befall the employees" is systematically undermining their interests, one step at a time. In this latest instance, acting illegally and under the guise of a spurious committee, they have allotted approximately 61 residential quarters from the electricity pool to other government departments—without even bothering to solicit applications from the transferred employees. Furthermore, despite a stay order issued by the court, a conspiracy was hatched to hand over possession of these quarters during the holiday period. Union office-bearers have announced a decisive struggle against the high-handedness of the officials, as well as a massive protest sit-in and demonstration in front of the Chief Engineer's office; a final decision regarding this will be taken shortly during the meeting of the Union's Executive Committee.