The stage is set for the crucial meeting of the power utilities of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for sorting out differences between them on the bifurcation of employees.
Top officials of the four distribution companies of the two States will meet here on Thursday to evolve mutually-agreed guidelines for the bifurcation of staff. The meeting follows the direction given by the committee headed by retired Supreme Court judge D.M. Dharmadhikari which was constituted to amicably resolve the ongoing impasse over staff bifurcation.
Questions are however being raised on whether the meeting would serve any purpose as the two sides remained firm on their respective stance. The Andhra Pradesh power utilities are insisting on geographical location of the posts, their Telangana counterparts are, however, firm that nativity should be the sole criterion for the division.
The AP utilities are crying hoarse that the employees were being divided without framing modalities and guidelines which was not acceptable to them. They cited the unilateral relieving of over 1,250 employees of AP nativity from the Telangana power utilities.
The Telangana utilities are firm that nativity should be the main criterion for bifurcation. “Allocation of posts to non-locals has been one of the major drivers of the separate State agitation. How can we set aside nativity aspect?” a senior official asked. The Telangana utilities were therefore firm that the nativity as recorded in the service records of the employees at the time of appointment, police antecedents given at the time of their recruitment and the declaration given by the employees after unbundling of the power sector should be the main criterion for staff bifurcation. “They must come out with some amicable solution. But unfortunately, there is no positive response from them when asked about their stand on the division of the employees,” the official told The Hindu . The Telangana officials suspect that the AP utilities want an option to be given to the employees going by their insistence on considering education and other parameters for deciding their nativity. “We are not willing to consider such options,” was how a senior official remarked. Given this background, doubts are being raised over whether the proposed meeting that could last two to three days would yield any fruitful result.
Ongoing impasse
Both the States remain firm on their respective stance
TS power utilities argue that nativity should be the sole criterion for division
AP insists on geographical location of the posts
While TS says nativity should be the basis of division, A.P. says it's geographical location
