Power workers' union opposes move to privatize ASEB

From our Staff Correspondent

Dibrugarh, Feb 1: The members of Dibrugarh unit of Assam State  Powers Workers' Union (ASPWU), protesting against ASEB authorities' move to hand over three 11 KV electric feeders, Bogibeel,  Jokai  and Sasoni to the private parties, staged dhar in front of the  Chief Electrical Engineer's office of Dibrugarh division for more than one hour on Tuesday.

 ASPWU vice-president  Leela Changmai and secretary, Sukhen Gogoi,  while expressing  their resentment over the government's move to privatize the ASEB by dispensing feeder after  feeder  to private parties through franchise, both president and secretary called upon Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal and State Power Minister Pallav Lochan Das, through a memorandum submitted  to the Chief Engineer after the dhar , to end the conspiracy of privatizing ASEB soon, failing which they cautioned the State Government that  ASPWU would  oppose   the move tooth-and-i,l and if necessary they would resort to democratic agitation means.

Secretary Sukhen Gogoi, while talking to this reporter, stated that the ASPWU under no circumstances would accept privatization of any property of ASEB. He further stated that the ASEB authority had dispensed a number of important tasks to private contractors on 10 to 18 per cent commission earlier, instead of fulfilling up the vacant posts or arranging the necessary machineries and vehicles for fast mobility to harness effective work.

"A conspiracy is being hatched to privatize the entire board but no efforts are being made to get rid of various interl problems of the board. Every year at least 4 to 5 experienced workers retire in Dibrugarh Division but no recruitment has been done to fill up  these vacant posts," Gogoi said.