Telangana Electricity Engineers Association (TEEA) and Assistant Engineers Association (TEAEA) have requested the State government to explore possibilities of resolution to the issue of division of employees between the power utilities of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana so that injustice is not caused to Telangana employees.
The two engineers associations and other employees of the power utilities participated in a self-respect meet here on Tuesday after the recent Supreme Court verdict on the division of employees upholding the report of the Justice D.M. Dhamadhikari (One Man) Committee. They expressed dismay over the apex court view stating that it had denied natural justice to Telangana employees who were subjected to discrimination in combined AP.
Speaking at the meet president of TEEA N. Shivaji alleged that the One Man Committee had acted only to benefit the AP employees at the cost of Telangana staff. He appealed to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Energy Minister G. Jagadish Reddy and the managements of the power utilities to find a solution to the issue so that injustice was not done to them (Telangana employees).
He observed that the apex court verdict had reiterated the history one more time that every system including courts would render injustice to Telangana employees on any dispute between AP and Telangana staff. He also cited the example of Srikrishna Committee report, particularly Chapter 8 of it, to explain how the systems work against the interests of Telangana.
Unfortunately, the trend was continuing even after formation of Telangana State and the AP power utilities had won the case in the apex court on technical grounds as the Telangana utilities’ arguments for natural justice in the background of separate statehood demand fell on deaf ears, Mr. Shivaji said. He felt that the apex court verdict had made it clear that none of the arguments by Telangana side were given any weightage as both the One Man panel and the apex court had made up their mind based on GOs issued in combined AP.
Both the One Man panel and the apex court did not give any credence to the A.P. Reorganisation Act and the process for division of employees of public sector undertakings and government employees, the functionaries of the two association said. They pointed out that the apex court had allowed the plea of AP utilities to change the initial ‘final’ report of the One Man panel and dismissed the plea of Telangana utilities on the revised ‘final’ report.
