Overview
- Harjit Singh was terminated with immediate effect under an order that labels the fuel-cost discrepancy as serious misconduct and alleges multi-crore losses.
- Basant Garg, newly appointed as power secretary and CMD of PSPCL/PSTCL, issued the termination after earlier suspending Chief Engineer Harish Sharma over similar concerns.
- The order compares Ropar and Goindwal Sahib plants with private stations and asserts inflated fuel costs despite coal supply from PSPCL’s Pachhwara mine in Jharkhand.
- Engineers’ representatives and some PSPCL officials contest the comparison as technically flawed, citing older plant design, smaller units and lower load factors, and warning of demoralisation.
- Reporting notes Pachhwara operations resumed in 2022 with PSPCL estimating about ₹1,000 crore in annual savings, while sources also point to leadership disagreements over asset sales and new PPAs.