MSEB staff plans stir from July 25

NAGPUR, JULY 17: All employees of major organisations of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board MSEB have decided to go on an indefinit...

NAGPUR, JULY 17: All employees of major organisations of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board MSEB have decided to go on an indefinite strike from July 25 to protest against the Government8217;s move to privatise the MSEB.

The decision was announced by Mohan Sharma, working president, MSEB workers federation while addressing a press conference on behalf of the organisations supporting the strike call. Over 1 lakh employees, officers and engineers will join the State-wide strike from 8 am on July 25, he declared.

Sharma blasted the Democratic Front DF Government for going back on its written commitment that employees8217; organisations would be consulted before taking any decision regarding the privatisation and trifurcation move. The written commitment was made by State Energy Minister Dr Padamsingh Patil on June 14 at a tripartite meeting held in Mumbai following a strike notice served by the employees8217; organisations when they learnt about the Government move to split the MSEB into three separate bodies, one each for generation, transmission and distribution. While denying any such move, the Energy Minister had given a written assurance that the employees would be consulted whenever the decision to split the MSEB is taken.

The organisations also hit out at the DF Government for bowing to the dictates of the World Bank and deciding to privatise the MSEB. Sharma pointed out that Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh himself said the World Bank had agreed to extend a loan of Rs 900 crore provided the State go in for MSEB8217;s privatisation. The Chief Minister, after returning from abroad, admitted that the World Bank condition was accepted by his government.

About the resource crunch, he blamed successive governments for adopting populist measures at the cost of the MSEB. It was asked to subsidise the power supply to the priority sector. Moreover, it was restrained by the political leadership from taking punitive action against defaulters. In addition, the MSEB was not allowed to take effective steps to recover huge arrears worth over Rs 3,500 crore from the erring industry, he alleged.

The organisations supporting the strike call are: MSEB Workers Federation, BMS-affiliated Veej Kamgar Mahasangh, INTUC-affiliated National Electrical Workers Federation, Magasvargiya Vidyut Karmachari Sanghatana, Subordinate Engineers Association, Officers Sanghatana, Office Employees Sanghatana, Rashtrawadi Sanghatana, Tantrik Kamgar Union, Graduate Engineers Association, Magasvargiya Bahujan Vidyut Kamgar Federation, Vidyut Shramik Congress and Chemists Association. Representatives of all these organisations including veteran leaders K K Hardas and S D Dange, J S Patil, Yogesh Wagde, Anil Sawale, Ganesh Prasad Mishra were present at press conference.