Ultimatum expires, more than 40,000 leave applications for rural electricity, fear of blackouts as a result
Last Saturday (August 24), the agitating officers and employees of 80 Palli Vidyut Samiti gave a 72-hour ultimatum to implement the two-point demand of implementing uniform service code by merging the Rural Electrification Board and Palli Vidyut Samiti and regularizing the jobs of contractual and irregular workers. Today that ultimatum expires.
Palli Vidyut Samiti provides electricity to more than 36 million consumers in 80 percent of the rural areas, which is the highest in terms of electricity supply. The question arises, if the demands are not fulfilled according to the ultimatum, what will happen?
It has been gathered that if the demands are not met, the employees of the association may go on a complete strike. As a result, a large population of the country may face blackouts.
In this regard, I spoke with Engineer Rajan Kumar Das, the coordinator of the movement of Palli Vidyut Samiti. He said that our two-point demand is completely reasonable and fair. We have discussed the demand with the ministry several times, but have not yet got any proper solution. A discussion and decision was taken between Rural Electricity, Power Department and Army on August 8 but it was not published in the form of an office order. We feel that rural electricity and electricity department is not giving importance to the matter.
Rajan Kumar Das also said, this time we have given an ultimatum of 72 hours. If there is no amicable solution, we will go on public holiday as announced. Already, more than 40,000 officers of the association (the total number of officers and employees are around 45,000) have applied for leave. If the demand is not met then there is a possibility of power blackout across the country when these officials and employees go on leave.
“But we really don’t want anything like that to happen or customers to suffer. We want, Electricity Advisor Fawzul Karim Khan, Rural Electricity and Electricity Department to give us an effective solution.
The movement coordinator of Palli Vidyut Samiti said that they are already standing in front of the secretariat. Chairman of Palli Vidyut is staying in the Ministry of Power. A solution may come soon.
In a message last Saturday, Palli Vidyut Samiti said that their 45,000 officers and employees provide electricity to about 140 million people in 80 percent of the country, ignoring sun, storm and rain seven days a week. They have been agitating for a long time demanding regularization of all irregular/contractual employees including REB-Pobis merger and implementation of uniform employment rules to get rid of dualism, discrimination and oppression of Rural Electrification Board. A strike was observed for five consecutive days across the country from May 5 to collect the demand, keeping the power system operational and customer service open, as a result of which a conciliation meeting was held mediated by the power department and the strike was suspended. Then according to the instructions of the electricity department, the signatures of 38,000 officials and employees were collected.
The message also said that after a 10-day strike from July 1 due to no satisfactory results, a meeting was held in the presence of the senior secretary of the power department, three additional secretaries, senior officials of REB and the officers and employees of the association. REB-POBIS merger/reform decision was taken in the meeting. REB-POBIS merger/reform was mentioned as the need of the hour by the Power Department and a 9-member committee comprising REB, Association and Ministry was constituted on August 1. On the same date, REB ordered punitive transfer of two GMs and four DGMs of the association for their involvement in the agitation.
After getting the information about the preparation of the movement of the officers and employees of Palli Vidyut Samiti, the electricity department organized a meeting of the previously formed committee on August 22. All REB representatives were absent in that meeting without prior notice. In this regard, the power department plays a virtually passive role. As a result, extreme anger arose among the officers and employees of the association and they stopped providing all information from the association and stopped all communication with REB, showing distrust towards REB.
To resolve the existing disparity between REB and Palli Vidyut Samiti, the two-point demand announced earlier has to be implemented within the next 72 hours. Otherwise, action should be taken against some miscreants, miscreants and corrupt people who are engaged in mischievous attempts to destroy the working environment by resisting the just demands of Palli Vidyut Samiti.
To remove the existing disparity between REB and Palli Vidyut Samiti, the two-point demand announced earlier needs to be implemented within the next 72 hours. Also, we seek the kind intervention of the Interim Government and the cooperation of the students to ensure the punishment of some disorderly, misbehaving and corrupt officials who are trying to destroy the working environment by resisting the just demands of Palli Vidyut Samiti.
