4 attempt suicide over jobs on compassionate grounds

4 attempt suicide over jobs on compassionate grounds

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Patiala:22.09.2021

Seeking jobs from Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on compassionate grounds, three protesters from the families of late employees on Tuesday poured petrol over themselves, while another consumed poison in four attempted suicides here.

Protesters Gagandeep Singh of Bathinda, Nishan Singh of Tarn Taran, and Veerpal Singh of Muktsar doused themselves with petrol, Mritak Aashrit Sangharsh Committee (PSPCL) union leader Charanjit Singh said: "Fellow protesters overpowered them before they could burn themselves. Enraged protesters tried to storm the PSPCL office and get to its seventh floor to join the 11 protesting there for the past five days."

When police didn’t let them in, one of the protesters, Dharminder Singh of Tarn Taran, consumed poison and was moved to Government Rajindra hospital in Patiala. About two years ago, six protesters, including an old woman, had climbed a water tank in Patiala after waiting two decades for job. The union’s Tuesday meeting with the PSPCL management was futile, and they will now meet the chairman and managing director on Wednesday in Chandigarh.

Charanjit said: "Our parents and loved ones died serving the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) that was, later, dissolved and transformed into PSPCL and PSTCL in 2010. These employees died between 2000 and 2010, when the government had stopped giving jobs on compassionate grounds. In 2010, when the board was dissolved, the government restored the job benefit to the kin of late employees but left us out. The department has a record of 6,141 job seekers but the actual figure is only 1,000, since the others have moved abroad, died, or found other jobs."

The death of an earning member and lack of timely compensation, accompanied by the pandemic-induced lockdown, have left many families in a desperate financial situation. Many linemen have been electrocuted because of somebody's negligence or lack of safety gear and equipment.

Many of their dependents were in school or college at the time of these accidents and they had to abandon their education for want of money..