Shimla, April 21(UNI) The Joint Action Committee of Electricity Board employees, engineers, and pensioners has announced the next Zila Bijli Panchayat on May 6 in Rampur. This was stated by the Heera Lal Verma convenor of JAC.
"The event will witness participation from power sector employees and pensioners from Rampur and district Kinnaur," said Verma.
This will be the fifth such electricity panchayat held in the state as part of a statewide series of protests. These panchayats are being organized in response to the government's continued inaction on demands raised by the employees.
"Despite repeated appeals and submission of a seven-point memorandum, no concrete steps have been taken by the state administration," Verma said.
The employees’ key demands include halting the abolition of posts under the guise of rationalization, implementation of the old pension scheme, financial relief for retirees, and a permanent policy for outsourced workers.
The committee has also raised concerns over the government's decision to hand over the maintenance of power lines to contractors instead of regular recruitment of field staff.
Verma said the outsourcing system could lead to exploitation of unemployed youth and deterioration in power services.
Moreover, the forced adjustment of deputed employees into Power and Communication Corporation has sparked further discontent, with the committee claiming it violates existing service condition laws.
The committee warned that the government's push towards privatization and restructuring of the board could lead to a lockout situation, impacting nearly 50,000 families and leading to increased power tariffs for consumers.
UNI ML PRS