If you are facing electricity-related technical problems such as voltage fluctuations, transformer failures, feeder breakdowns, snapped cables, sparking or local line faults, getting them resolved may now take longer than usual. The ongoing strike by Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) employees has severely affected complaint handling and technical response services across Punjab, with the situation worsening after Complaint Handling Bike (CHB) workers also joined the agitation.
The impact of the strike became evident on Saturday evening, when heavy rain lashed Jalandhar, triggering multiple electricity-related faults across the city. Several localities reported feeder trips, voltage fluctuations, snapped power lines and transformer-related issues. Residents said many complaints remained unattended for hours, while in some areas electricity-related technical faults were still not rectified even after nearly 24 hours, causing inconvenience to thousands of consumers.
With the monsoon season in full swing, such technical faults have become increasingly common. Heavy rainfall and strong winds often lead to fallen trees, damaged power lines, snapped cables, feeder breakdowns and transformer failures. Under normal circumstances, PSPCL’s technical teams respond quickly to restore supply. However, the ongoing strike has significantly reduced the department’s ability to attend complaints and carry out repair work promptly.
The strike, which began on July 22, intensified after nearly 1,905 Complaint Handling Bike (CHB) employees across the PSPCL North Zone, including Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur and Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshahr), joined the protest. CHB employees are responsible for attending consumer complaints, identifying faults, restoring electricity supply and carrying out emergency repair work.
True Scoop Speaks to PSPCL Chief Engineer
Speaking to True Scoop, PSPCL Chief Engineer Er. Sarabjit Singh admitted that the department is facing an extremely difficult situation because of the strike.
He said PSPCL is making every possible effort to maintain electricity supply with the limited staff available. However, he acknowledged that the department is currently not in a position to resolve every public complaint or technical fault immediately, as a large section of the field workforce is participating in the strike.
The Chief Engineer said that while essential electricity supply is being maintained as far as possible, consumers may continue to experience delays in the restoration of technical faults until the strike ends.
Problems Consumers May Face
Because of the shortage of technical staff, consumers may experience delays in resolving:
Low or high voltage issues
Transformer failures
Feeder breakdowns
Snapped power cables after rain or storms
Sparking and damaged electricity lines
Local distribution faults
Delays in restoring power after technical failures
Pending electricity fault complaints
Meanwhile, employee unions have maintained that the strike will continue until the Punjab Government accepts their pending demands, including the release of Dearness Allowance (DA), promotions, pay revision, filling of vacant posts, restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and regularisation of outsourced employees.
Following Saturday’s heavy rain, residents across Jalandhar urged both the Punjab Government and PSPCL employee unions to resolve the deadlock at the earliest, saying the dispute is now directly affecting public life. With the monsoon season leading to frequent electricity faults, consumers say uninterrupted technical support and prompt fault restoration are essential.
