Himachal electricity board abolishes 51 posts, employees serve 10-day ultimatum on govt in protest
The Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) has abolished 51 posts, sparking widespread protests from employees and engineers.
The affected positions include seven of Superintending Engineer (Works) in the Chief Engineer Offices at Shimla, Dharamshala, Mandi, Hamirpur and other divisions. The Executive Director of HPSEB issued a notification citing “rationalisation” as the reason behind the move.
Among the posts abolished are six of Senior Superintending Engineer (Commerce and Works), the positions that have been re-designated as Senior Superintending Engineer (Works). These were eliminated in Dalhousie, Rampur, Rohru, Solan and Nahan.
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Additionally, 22 Assistant Engineer (Works) posts have been scrapped in several locations, including Kumarsain, Kaza, Reckong Peo, Solan, Arki and Dharamshala. Another 16 Assistant Engineer posts have been cut across Kangra, Dalhousie, Shimla, Mandi and Una.
The HPSEB clarified that Assistant Engineer (Works) positions in electrical divisions will now be filled by promoted personnel from the Drawing and IT cadres.
The decision has met with strong resistance from the joint front of employees and engineers. Front members voiced their discontent following an emergency meeting. They stated that, starting Saturday, the employees would adopt a “work to rule” approach, which includes switching off mobile phones from 6 to 9 am and halting surveys of domestic consumers and hotels via mobile apps.
The joint front has issued a 10-day ultimatum, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the order. They warned that if the decision is not reversed by October 28, employees would go on mass leave, escalating their protest against the board’s actions.