From our Correspondent

Itanagar, July 29: The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) has come under sharp criticism for its alleged indifferent attitude to the job-seekers from Arunachal Pradesh.

Despite being one of the major contributors of power generation (405 MW Ranganadi HEP) for the company, which has an installed capacity of 1130 MW in North East with its ongoing 870 MW projects in the region (including 710 MW in the State – 600 MW Kameng HEP and 110 MW Pare HEP), Arunachal Pradesh has reportedly been deprived of employment opportunities as compared to other states in the NE region.

According to documents made available by Papum Pare Unemployed Engineers’ Association (PPUEA), of the 2885 regular employees of NEEPCO as on March this year, the Corporation has so far recruited 148 employees, including 20 executive cadres, 33 supervisor cadres and 95 workmen cadre, from amongst the Arunachalees.

Further going deep into it, PPUEA stated that Arunachal has merely 2.04 per cent executive cadre (E1 & above), 7.33 per cent supervisor cadre (S1-S3) and 6.51 per cent workmen cadre (W1-W8) from amongst the total manpower of the Corporation.

When it comes to total mega watts (405 MW commissioned and 710 MW ongoing projects totaling 1115 MW) in Arunachal, its employment stance accounts for 0.13 per cent i e 0.133 person per mega watt on an average whereas the Corporation has to appoint at least two persons per mega watt as per the National Training Policy for the Power Sector, June 2002, Ministry of Power.

The Association flayed the power developer of deliberately depriving the Arunachalees on job front, dishonouring the deed of agreement (MoU) with the State government, and added that the government’s tall talks of addressing the grievances of locals remain in papers only.

It also accused NEEPCO of not recruiting a single employee from amongst the land affected people against Pare and Kameng Projects especially in group ‘C’ and ‘D’ posts.

Before pleading the State government to safeguard the interest of Arunachalees including the unemployed engineers, PPUEA, meanwhile, expressed regret that NEEPCO has not kept any post reserved for APST candidates, barring just one, in its latest advertisement for recruitment of engineers and professionals.