Notice to govt, PSPCL on move to shut down Bathinda thermal plant

Bathinda: Taking up the petition of Bathinda-based Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) Employees Federation, a bench of Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday issued notice to Punjab government, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Central Electricity Authority (CEC) for December 18 against the proposal to shut down the plant.

The employees’ federation had also demanded a probe into the power purchase agreements (PPA) the state government had signed with private power plants in the past. Aggrieved over the proposal to shut down the GNDTP, its employees’ union had approached the high court last month with a prayer to direct the state government against closing it. The employees, who have been holding regular protests against the reported move of the state government to shut down the plant in August, alleged that the life of the unit number 1 and 2 is till 2022 and unit number 3 and 4 till 2029 after the state government spent Rs 715 crore on their renovation and modernisation (R&M) in phases till 2014. As per the central electricity authority (CEA) the life of any coal-based sub-critical technology plant is 25 years.

Vivek Bhandari, counsel for petitioner body, said the court on Monday took up the petition and issued a notice to the state government and various agencies for December 18. “We have also demanded a probe into PPAs signed between the state and private players,” he said.

The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) authorities asserted that as per CEA directives the plant had outlived its age and power generated from here was becoming costly and had recommended its shutting down. Working on it, the Punjab government has formed a cabinet sub-committee headed by health minister Brahm Mohindra to look into the matter.

Nearly 900 contractual employees are expected to be affected if the plant is shut down and the employees are protesting against it for over two months now. The GNDTP employees federation secretary, Gursewak Singh, said that, “After the R&M the life of the plant was increased till 2029 but the state government is trying to shut down the plant to benefit private players. As per CEA report, Punjab may not remain power surplus after 2021 if no generation was added and in that case the Bathinda plant could be of immense use.”