Power engineers oppose further extension to CMD, to launch stir

Submitted by RAJESH BEHL on Thu, 06/02/2014 - 10:47am

The Tribune: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140206/ldh1.htm#3
Ludhiana, February 5
Reiterating their stand in principle, engineers of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) have opposed further extension to its Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) KD Choudhry.

At a meeting of engineers from across the state, convened by the CMD here today, the engineers refused to support a resolution for the extension of the tenure of the CMD beyond the age of 62 years. PSEB engineers alleged that the meeting held today was called in a hurried manner, and for this purpose, the CMD had cancelled an already scheduled meeting in Patiala.

Baldev Singh Sran, president, and Sanjeev Sood, general secretary, of the engineers' association, said similar attempts to seek the support of the engineers for the extension of the CMD's tenure had been made earlier by some top officials of the PSPCL in Amritsar and at Guru Gobind Singh Thermal Plant in Ropar without much success.

The association has condemned the attitude of the management of trying to force the engineers to support the proposal to enhance the upper age limit of the CMD and the Director from the present 62 years to 65 years.

Sran and Sood said a tripartite agreement was signed between the Punjab government and various unions of the erstwhile Punjab State Electricity Board at the time of unbundling. “Our association has been extending full support to the government for smooth transition from the PSEB to the two companies set up for distribution and transmission. The move of the state government, which is one of the signatories to the tripartite agreement, to change the clauses unilaterally is unfortunate,” they said.

Taking a decision to go ahead with the scheduled protest of wearing black badges and holding protest rallies at Patiala, Jalandhar and Bathinda from tomorrow, the PSEB Engineers Association has also issued a written appeal to the CMD of the PSPCL, who himself has been an office-bearer of the body, not to seek further extension in his tenure in the larger interests of organisational development.