Strike by power engineers today?

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MAY 15. Strike by electricity engineers, from the zero hour of Tuesday, appeared imminent as the leaders spearheading the agitation did not relent and the Government adopted an equally aggressive posture.

Leaders of the AP Transco Engineers Association, a rebel body opposing the strike and favouring the ongoing reforms, turned up for talks before the Cabinet sub-committee on Monday night and reportedly assured cooperation to the Government.

Taking stock of the situation in the context of the strike threat at a meeting with the Cabinet Sub-Committee and senior Government and power officials, the Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, said the Government was committed to implementing the tripartite agreement in toto and that there was no need to go on strike on that count.

He sounded a stiff warning to the agitating engineers that there would be no question of talks once and if the strike began. He ordered officials to ensure proper supply of power and make arrangements to see that power generation and supply were not disrupted. Power installations and loyal staff should be protected, he said, according to a press release by the CMO.

The AP Genco said engineers and other staff had been requisitioned from the NTPC, BHEL, and other power undertakings to assist in running the power plants.

The strike call was given by the APSEB Engineers and the APSEB Assistant Engineers Association, but is opposed by the rebel body, AP Transco Engineers Association. Representatives of the associations, which gave the strike call, did not participate in the talks with the Cabinet sub-committee.

The Home Minister, Mr. T. Devender Goud, who heads the sub- committee, and the Minister for Transport, Mr. B. V. Mohan Reddy, a member, who met the press, appealed to the engineers not to stand on prestige and come for talks.

The two Ministers described the agreement as the ``Bhagawatgita'' of the power sector reforms which was being emulated by other States. There would be no retrenchment in the successor entities of APSEB.

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Section  : Regional
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