Employees’ associations in the State have announced solidarity with the demand of the Telangana electricity engineers that the division of electricity employees in the context of State bifurcation should be based on nativity as mentioned in the service registers alone.
In view of the scheduled meeting of the Group of Ministers of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with the Governor on March 9, a roundtable was conducted by the Telangana Electricity Engineers’ Association (TEEA) here on Tuesday, where the representatives of TNGOs (Telangana Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association) expressed their solidarity with the TS electricity engineers.
Service registers
With the unconfirmed reports hinting at the two States agreeing on the implementation of presidential orders under Article 371-D with regard to absorption of over 1,100 A.P.-native electricity employees relieved by the Telangana power utilities, the roundtable vehemently opposed any other criterion for employees’ division other than nativity as per the service registers.
The TEEA contends that the presidential orders were never implemented during the joint State regime, which benefited Andhra candidates in recruitments. The top jobs in all the utilities upward from the divisional engineer, have been over-represented by the candidates with A.P. nativity.
Kamalnathan panel
Hence, they say that the cadre-wise employee division as per the Kamalnathan Committee guidelines cannot be carried out here, as it would be favourable to A.P.-native employees, who would end up occupying a major chunk of jobs.
“Even during the power reforms, when the APSEB was divided as A.P. Transco and A.P. Genco, and A.P. Transco was further unbundled into discoms, many who were recruited for the APSPDCL and APEPDCL were dumped to APCPDCL as per their options, through creation of supernumerary posts. Even now they can do the same to absorb the A.P.-native employees,” said S. Shivaji, president of TEEA, while suggesting that 42 % Telangana jobs in Krishnapatnam power project may be filled with the relieved employees.
He opposed retention of A.P.-native employees even on spouse and medical grounds.
MLA V. Srinivas Goud, TNGO president Karem Ravinder Reddy and TRS leader G. Devi Prasad expressed their solidarity with the demands of the roundtable.
Mr. Goud vowed that he would see that justice was delivered, while Mr. Ravinder Reddy said all the employees of Schedule IX and X institutions were waiting for the employees’ division in power utilities, which was the reason why the associations need to be alert.
Mr. Devi Prasad lamented that even after bifurcation, Telangana employees were forced to wage new wars against the provisions of the faulty Reorganisation Act which needs massive changes. “Presidential orders cannot be followed, as they will give way to false certificates,” he said.
The Vidyuth Accounts Officers’ Association of Telangana and other organisations participated in the roundtable.
