Employees of the Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) and Odisha Power Transmission Corporation limited (OPTCl) under the banner of the Nikhila Odisha Bidyut Sramika Mahasangha on Friday staged a dharna in front of the CESU and OPTCl head offices here protesting financial irregularities and apathetic attitude towards them.They also opposed the State Government’s move to hike power tariff.
Alleging serious financial irregularities in the CESU, Mahasangha general secretary Akshaya Kumar Tripathy said that though the franchise companies engaged by the CESU to collect electricity bills are collecting crores of rupees from different parts of the State, they do not deposit the same with the CESU for years, resulting in a huge loss to the CESU and the Government.
“In 2014, the CESU suffered a loss of Rs 213 crore due to power theft. Despite knowing the fact, neither the Government nor the CESU is taking remedial measures. Instead, the Government is planning to hike electricity tariff as proposed by the power distribution companies,” alleged Tripathy.Coming down heavily on the CESU and OPTCl authorities for their anti-employee policies, Tripathy alleged that nearly 760 employees working in these two organsiations are yet to get basic facilities like grade pay, increment.
The agitators also demanded a high-level inquiry into the financial irregularities in the CESU and the OPTCl in last 16 years.“If a proper inquiry is done, the financial irregularities in the CESU and the OPTCl in last 16 years will cross the AT Group chit fund scam level,” said Tripathy.The Mahasangha leaders also demanded cancellation the licences of the three other electric supply companies Wesco, Southco and Nesco managed by the Reliance Infrastructure limited for their alleged illegal functioning.
