HC issues notice to AP,  TS over distribution of electricity employees

HYDERABAD: Expressing displeasure with the power utilities of AP and TS for failure to implement court orders regarding the allocation of over 1200 electricity employees between the two states, a division bench of the Hyderabad High Court on Thursday issued notices to both the governments for filing detailed counter affidavits on the issue. Failure to implement the order of the court to constitute joint committees and formulate modalities for distribution of these employees between the two states within two months would amount to contempt of court, the bench cautioned. 

The bench of Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy and Justice G Shyam Prasad was passing this order in contempt petition filed by M Narsimhulu and four others seeking action against the authorities concerned for willful violation of orders of the court. On Feb 2, the Court directed the power utilities of AP and TS to constitute joint committees and formulate modalities for distribution of above employees between the two states within next two months and to implement the same within two months thereafter. The entire process should be completed within four months.

The court made it clear that the distribution should be made without taking the ‘nativity’ as the criterion. Failure to implement the court order, some of the employees filed the contempt petition with the principal secretaries to energy and the chairman and managing directors of SPDCL of both the states as respondents.
When the matter came up for hearing on Thursday, petitioners’ counsel S Srinivas Reddy submitted that the court orders were not implemented till date. Though the time granted was over there was no distribution of employees between the two states.