Himachal Power Dept Employees Protest, Suspend Work for Two Hours

Himachal Power Dept Employees Protest, Suspend Work for Two Hours

Engineers and employees of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) staged a two-hour statewide protest on Friday against the government’s plan to abolish approximately 700 posts in the board. The protest was called by the joint action committee of engineers and employees, who demanded the reinstatement of all positions placed in the surplus pool.

Hiralal Verma, co-convener of the committee, strongly criticized the decision, calling it a unilateral move by the management. He argued that the process lacked transparency and logic. “While the promotion opportunities for employees will be affected, the remaining workforce will also face an increased workload,” he stated.

Verma further accused the state government of neglecting the need to create and fill new positions in the electricity board. Instead of addressing the staffing shortages, he claimed, the government was eliminating existing posts. He also pointed out that the decision to fill 1,030 posts has been pending for a year, and appointments for the JAO (IT) positions have been canceled.

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However, HPSEB spokesperson Anurag Parashar refuted these allegations. On Thursday, he clarified that no posts had been abolished in the board. According to him, the board was acting under the directives of the Himachal Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission, an independent authority overseeing electricity tariffs.

Parashar explained that the commission had instructed the board to reduce salary and pension expenses, which were reportedly the highest in the country at ₹2.50 per unit. Since excessive employee-related costs could impact the board’s financial stability, the commission had repeatedly advised cost-cutting measures.

He emphasized that posts were being rationalized, not abolished, and assured that recruitment for these positions would resume when necessary.( Hindustan Times)

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