The Ganjam District Vidyut Karmachari Sangh has threatened to stage an indefinite dharna before the Southco office here from February 17 if the State Government doesn’t withdraw the proposed electricity tariff hike forthwith.
The Sangh also cautioned the Southco to stop exploiting employees and consumers simply on the pretext of loss and reform.
Sangh members said these at a Press meet held here on Sunday.
“The Southco has failed to pay pension to its retired employees regularly for which they are spending a lot of difficulties. The distribution company’s dictatorial and unilateral attitude is not acceptable,” they said.
The Sangh said while there were only 2.69 lakh consumers under 73 sub-stations managed by 4,400 employees before the power distribution reformation effected 16 years back, the number of consumers has now increased to 15 lakhs and sub-stations to 145 but the same number of employees are managing the increased sub-stations. At least 20,000 employees are required to manage the affairs.
Sangh also alleged that the distributing company is also exploiting its more than one thousand outsourcing employees which need to be probed, demanded Sangha president Panchanan Jena, general secretary Biswanath Das and joint secretary Kalu Sahu.
Besides, they alleged that the Southco has also not implemented its assurance given to the Sangh on November 12 last year.
“The Sangh has decided to stage an indefinite dharna if power in protest the proposed power tariff hike and Southco’s lackadaisical attitude,” said Jena.
The Advocates’ Front, Brahmapur has also threatened to resort to mass movement in protest against power tariff hike proposal.