Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari Committee has completed the task of distributing the State cadre employees from the rank of Assistant Engineer and above among the eight power utilities of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by allocating 655 out of 1,157 employees relieved by Telangana in June/July 2015 to AP.
However, it has also considered the options given by the employees other than 1,157 and re-allocated them by following the modalities finalised for the purpose. The final allocation seeks to end the uncertainty prevailing over the postings and service matters of 1,157 employees relieved by Telangana and another 229 self-relieved employees working in AP and joined Telangana utilities later.
Appointed by the Supreme Court in November 2018, the One-Man Committee of former judge of the SC submitted its report by making “final” allocation with a direction to the utilities to implement it within four months. According to officials of Telangana utilities, the Dharmadhikari Committee has allocated 613 out of 1,157 employees relieved by Telangana to AP, based on their option exercised to work in AP. Another 42 of the 1,157 employees who did not give any option have also been allocated to AP.
Self-relieved
The remaining 502 employees of the 1,157 who opted to work in Telangana have been allocated accordingly. Besides, the committee has also allocated another 229 employees to Telangana, who relieved themselves from work in AP utilities and joined Telangana.
Telangana Electricity Engineers associations, however, have expressed dissatisfaction over the final allocation of employees by the Dharmadhikari Committee stating that it allows the injustice to Telangana employees to continue, although there is some solace in the allocation of at least some AP-native employees to that State.
Reversions feared
“The report on the final allocation brings back the fears of reversions to some Telangana employees who were promoted after July 2015. We plan to decide the next course of action only after meeting the managements and also after taking the legal opinion on the final allocation,” TEE leader N. Shivaji said reacting to the Dharmadhikari Committee report. Justice would have been done had the committee considered the home district principle. He, however, asked the managements to implement the report at the earliest to end the uncertainty.
Irrespective of the One-Man Committee report the Telangana employees bodies believe that all the AP-native employees could be sent to their home State with the intervention at the Chief Ministers level since the relations between the two are “cordial” and there was nothing unnatural in their (Telangana employees) demand.
