Power engineers’ body warns of statewide strike
The strike warning is in protest against the alleged harassment of engineers by the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) management
UP Rajya Vidyut Parishad Abhiyanta Sangh on Wednesday warned of a statewide strike against the alleged harassment of engineers by the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) management.
The threat came amid the ongoing work boycott by power engineers under the Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (PVVNL) against transfer of 23 junior engineers, many of them from Noida and Greater Noida, to Purvanchal without serving any notice to them.
“State’s power engineers will be resorted to go on the statewide strike if UPPCL management does not roll back the transfer of 23 engineers,” UPRVPAS general secretary Prabhat Singh said.
Singh said that if 23 transferred engineers committed any irregularities in giving temporary power connections, the management should get the issue probed and then act accordingly. “But it is not fair to punish and harass them without a probe,” he said.
He claimed that the ongoing boycott by engineers had started affecting maintenance of power supply in cities and villages under the MVVNL.
UPPCL director, personnel and appointment, AK Purvar, however, dismissed the Abhiyanta Sangh’s charges terming these as bogus.
“All the 23 engineers were transferred after a probe committee under a UPPCL chief engineer found massive irregularities in issuing temporary power connections in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district.
“Now, a charge sheet will be served to all the accused who will be given an opportunity to be heard before a penal takes action against them,” he said.
Meanwhile, a six-member delegation of the UP Power Officers’ Association on Wednesday met energy minister Shrikant Sharma and supported department’s policy of zero tolerance against corruption.
The delegation led by the association working president Awadhesh Kumar Verma said that Dalit and backward caste engineers that the association represented would work one hour extra every day.