Power engineers allege ill-treatment
Tribune News Service

Panipat, December 5
The Haryana Power Engineers Association (HPEA) has alleged that power engineers are being ill-treated by the senior authorities of the power utilities to hide their poor performance.

In a statement here today, president of association RS Dahiya said in Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) losses up to March 2009 was near Rs 2,700 crore, loan taken was about Rs 7,000 crore, outstanding defaulting amount was Rs 1,700 crore with a cash deficit of Rs 250 crore per month. These parameters were worst in the state and even after spending over Rs 5,500 crore in July 2008, the losses being incurred by the power utilities had increased.

The association alleged that the power utilities administration set unrealistic targets for power engineers, which were not achievable. It stated that disciplinary cases were being made out on flimsy grounds against engineers to demoralise them. This was being done to divert the attention of engineers from the poor performance of the utilities.

It stated that the senior authorities of the UHBVN were acting on the advice of consultants, who were not aware of the ground realities and the field officers had become helpless and felt ignored. Sumer Singh Yadav, general secretary of the association, said the managing director of the UHBVN used dictatorial and threatening language in the review meetings held by him, which agitated the power engineers.