Power utilities employees decry demotion

HYDERABAD: Around 250 employees, including chief engineers, superintending engineers and divisional engineers, expressed their displeasure with Transco, Genco, and north and south discoms managements over their decision to demote them, and submitted a representation to energy minister G. Jagadish Reddy seeking its revocation.

After bifurcation in 2014, the electricity employees were assigned to AP and Telangana.

After bifurcation in 2014, Telangana power utilities promoted their employees based on the seniority list. Meanwhile, approximately 1,200 employees from Andhra Pradesh were transferred to Telangana in three stages.

Following Supreme Court orders, 84 employees from Andhra Pradesh were recently transferred to Telangana and given promotions. As a result, the Telangana power utilities were forced to revise their seniority list and promote eligible employees coming in from AP, adversely affecting the TS employees.

Telangana State Electricity Engineers’ association president Shivaji told Deccan Chronicle that power utilities did not follow any procedures. "Why did management make a hasty decision about demotions," he asked.

The purpose of Telangana's separate statehood has not benefited the electricity employees, he claimed. "The energy minister has assured us that the promotions issue will be resolved amicably," he said.

Meanwhile, BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar called the demotion of electricity workers a hasty and mindless decision by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He claimed that the electricity workers are paying the price for TRS government errors.

He accused Chandrasekhar Rao's misrule of trapping discoms in debt and warned that the government will face consequences if it fails to protect employees' interests.