MSEB union threatens agitation over arrears payment

Mumbai, May 5 (UNI) Power Front, a Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) workers union, today said it will launch an indefinite mass ''dharna'' at the Board's headquarters here to press its long pending demands, which includes immediate disbursement of employees' arrears.

The Front claims to represent nearly 80,000 employees of the MSEB's 85,000 strong work force.

''Our leaders from across the state will indefinitely ''gherao'' 'Prakash Ghar (MSEB headquarters)' from Monday to press for our demands as also to set up new power plants in the state,'' Front's general secretary Gulabrao Uke said.

Mr Uke, however, assured that during the proposed agitation, there will be no disruption of power supply in the state.

According to Mr Uke, the Board's management has not disbursed arrears, which amount to around Rs 150 crore, for the past nine months, and all that the employees have received from the management is assurance on this count.

''The management has failed to pay heed to our long-pending demands, forcing us to resort to this step. We feel that simple assurances will not do any more, and when the management has failed to act, we should act,'' Mr Uke added.

The Front said on one hand, the MSEB management has not disbursed the arrears on the excuse that the board is short of funds, on the other hand it has failed to recover dues to the tune of Rs 10,000 crores from industrialists.

''We are also demanding that the government set up more power plants in the state, as no new plant has come up over the last thirteen years,'' Mr Uke said while pointing out that consumers are inconvenienced due to load-shedding ranging between 7-16 hours, both in the rural and urban parts of the state.

UNI