Ludhiana, Dec. 18 -- The employees and pensioners' union of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on Wednesday announced a nine-day relay hunger strike from January 1 to protest against the state government's proposal to sale the power department's land under its OUVGL (optimum use of vacant government lands) scheme. They described the move as the "systematic corporatisation" of the power sector.

Announcing this agitation, union leaders said they had exhausted all democratic means of protest over the past several months, including circle level sit-ins across Punjab between October 16 and October 31, a protest march outside the residence of the power minister in Ludhiana on November 2 and demonstrations during the Tarn Taran ...