The Discom administration has decided to deal with employees involved in protest with an iron hand.
In the last two years, Discoms chairman and principal secretary energy Bhaskar A Sawant has been able to handle successfully various issues like shortage of coal, high purchase cost, low power generation and staff strikes while ensuring uninterrupted power supply in the state.
He has also been able to implement Gehlot's ambitious scheme of distributing free power upto 100 units to every household, which was considered a Herculean task keeping in mind tight financial situation of discoms. Since the chairman Sawant doubles up as principal secretary energy also, the task became a little easier for him. Though a lot of mid night oil was burnt in completing the exercise.
In the current situation also when a large number of junior engineers and technicians have announced to boycot work, Sawant has been able to manage the crisis well. He has directed managing directors of all the three distributions companies – Jaipur, Ajmer and Jodhpur discoms – to gather data of employees absent from their respective duties along with reasons for their absence.
In a letter to managing directors, Sawant has asked them to ascertain whether the absence is on account of sanctioned leave, medical reason or without any justified reasons. The report compiled at Circle level needs to be submitted to respective MDs of discoms with a copy to chairman Monday evening.
The chairman Bhaskar A Sawant also reviewed the position of power supply and found there was no interruption in supply. He directed officials to depute staff at every point for ensuring uninterrupted power supply across the state.
More than 5,000 junior engineers and technicians of all the three discoms had been boycotting work for last five days demanding exemption from paying up their contribution for implementation of old pension scheme. The state government has acceded to their demand and now the Discom administration is in no mood to allow any callousness in their duty.
“The government has agreed to their demand regarding old pension scheme. Even then some employees related to an association are still boycotting their work and are going to assemble for a mahapadav. We are warning them to resume their duty immediately. Otherwise struck disciplinary action will be taken against all of them who don't return to work,” said N L Rathi, secretary, Ajmer Discom.
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