Shimla: The employees of the State Electricity Board have announced a state-wide agitation against the State government, starting with a major protest in Hamirpur on February 11. On Wednesday, employees staged a demonstration outside the Electricity Board headquarters, Kumar House, in Shimla, demanding the withdrawal of the decision to abolish 700 posts. The protest was organized by the United Front of employees, pensioners, and engineers, who expressed anger over the restoration of the old pension scheme, stalled recruitments, and pending financial benefits.
During a symbolic protest held during the lunch break, Joint Front convenor Lokesh Thakur and co-convenor Hiralal Verma warned that any attempts to alter the structure of the Electricity Board would not be tolerated. They cautioned that if the government and board management did not halt the rationalization process, the agitation would be escalated across the state.
The protesting employees are demanding the restoration of the old pension scheme within the Electricity Board, an end to the abolition of posts under the guise of rationalization, and the commencement of new recruitments. They insisted that the government must honour the June 2010 agreement made with electricity employees and engineers. The United Front also called for the immediate release of retirement benefits and pending pension dues, along with the formulation of a permanent policy for outsourced employees while halting future outsourced recruitment. Additionally, they demanded that the outsourcing of operation and maintenance of substations and powerhouses be stopped.
The Ministerial Services Association has also strongly opposed the decision to abolish 700 posts. Association officials stated that they would take up the matter directly with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, emphasizing that he had previously assured them that no ministerial post would be removed in the name of rationalization. The association accused board management of misleading the government with an inaccurate portrayal of the situation.
State President of the Association Harinand Verma and Press Secretary Rameshwar Sharma criticized the decision, asserting that instead of cutting essential positions, there was a pressing need to eliminate high-grade posts to reduce financial losses. They alleged that a specific group of officers, who dominate board committees, were manipulating decisions to protect their own posts while disproportionately reducing lower-category employees. The officials pointed out that the board spends crores on salaries, allowances, vehicles, accommodation, and other privileges for higher officers, suggesting that these costs could be curtailed by downsizing the upper ranks.
