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UPPCL employees to shun Diwali festivities in protest against ‘harassment’
The Sangharsh Samiti announced that over one lakh electricity employees, including tender/contract workers, junior engineers, and engineers, along with their families, will engage in a symbolic puja this Diwali while refraining from the usual festivities.
LUCKNOW Taking a stand against the purported harassment of power engineers, employees, and workers, the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation (UPPCL) staff has decided to forgo Diwali celebrations this year.
Despite the state energy minister Arvind Kumar Sharma’s pledge on March 19, 2023, to withdraw all cases against employees, the Vidyut Karmchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti has claimed that the promised withdrawal is yet to materialise, leaving workers and their families distressed.
Expressing their discontent, the Sangharsh Samiti announced that over one lakh electricity employees, including tender/contract workers, junior engineers, and engineers, along with their families, will engage in a symbolic puja this Diwali while refraining from the usual festivities.
This protest follows a symbolic strike by UPPCL workers in March 2023, resulting in actions such as suspension, expulsion, charge sheets, FIRs, and vigilance investigations. Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma had previously assured the withdrawal of all actions, prompting the Sangharsh Samiti to end the strike.
Despite the commitment of UPPCL workers to achieving a record-breaking electricity supply on Diwali, in line with chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s directives, the prolonged non-resolution of the cases remains a point of contention.
The Sangharsh committee’s instructions have led UPPCL employees to work tirelessly, ensuring uninterrupted power supply and supporting the state government’s one-time settlement scheme.
While energy minister Arvind Kumar Sharma commended UPPCL employees for reducing line losses by 9% and increasing revenue collection by about 20%, the persistent legal cases, unresolved even after nearly eight months, cast a shadow over their efforts.
