Activists of the Orissa State Electricity Board Bijuli Karmachari Sangh (OSEBBKS), southern zone held a demonstration and dharna in front of the corporate headquarters of the private power distribution company Southco in Behrampur on June 17, 2010. They were protesting against non-fulfilment of agreements with employees relating to filling of all vacancies of field staff, regularisation of contract employees and payment of yearly increment to linesmen.
Activists of the Orissa State Electricity Board Bijuli Karmachari Sangh (OSEBBKS), southern zone held a demonstration and dharna in front of the corporate headquarters of the private power distribution company Southco in Behrampur on June 17, 2010. They were protesting against non-fulfilment of agreements with employees relating to filling of all vacancies of field staff, regularisation of contract employees and payment of yearly increment to linesmen.
The Union has declared that the privatization of power sector in Orissa had failed to achieve its stated goals like provision of better services to customers and better management of power distribution. People of Orissa are yet to get proper service and are burdened by power cuts. The electricity workers are opposed to the recent hike in power tariff in the state. They demanded that the Southco management concentrate on providing proper service that includes uninterrupted power supply with proper voltage, instead of how to fleece the people by increasing power tariffs. The workers have demanded that the Southco pay up the arrears of their pay and provide employment to one family member of each worker who dies in accidents during duty. The workers have pointed out that the number of sub-stations and consumers has increased many times in south Orissa but the strength of grass root level work force to provide service to the consumers has not been increased. Dearth of proper maintenance is leading to accidents and deaths of workers, they alleged. The Southco authorities are delaying payment of compensation to the contractual workers who die during duty.
Electricity workers demonstrating in front of the Southco office in Berhampur.