THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The move by Dr Rajan Khobragade, former CMD of KSEB, to extend services of three chief engineers belonging to the civil section who are to retire on Friday, has come under flak from the trade unions including KSEB Officers’ Association which has Left leanings.
The CMD had forwarded a note to Electricity Minister, K Krishnankutty, on the issue citing that there are no experts to replace them once they step down from office on May 31. A government source told TNIE that the move has also come under flak from the finance department as there is no precedent in giving extension to chief engineers.
Among the 1,100 KSEB employees who are due to retire on Friday, the three chief engineers, A K Manikandan, Vinod P Prabhakar and J Anil, have got the backing of KSEB CMD who has sought service extension for them. A group of KSEB employees had held a retirement party last Saturday at Vydyuthi Bhavan’s ninth-floor auditorium which was also attended by the three senior officials. On the same day, when the trade unions came to know of the CMD’s move, KSEBOA approached the Chief Minister’s Office and also Minister Krishnankutty.
“It was a wrong precedent on the part of the former CMD as the LDF government’s policy is against giving extension for retired hands. In the future, the KSEB employees will emulate this and approach the court for extension. Hence, we strongly object to the move,” P Jayaprakashan, general secretary, KSEBOA, told TNIE.
The interesting aspect is that the three officials were promoted as chief engineers only during the past three months. The CMD has been informed by a section of officials that since the trio belongs to the civil section, their service in office is most warranted.
However, P S Prasanth, general secretary, Kerala Electricity Officers’ Confederation (Congress), told TNIE that the board should ensure extension to all 1,100 employees who are due to retire on Friday. “How can it be said that only these three chief engineers are efficient and experienced? All the KSEB employees are efficient, experienced and talented. We demand that the pension age of KSEB employees should be increased by two years from the existing 56 years,” said Prasanth.
Meanwhile, Krishnankutty’s office informed that the power department has not taken any decision to provide an extension to the three officials.
“A vacuum is going to be felt at the civil section of the KSEB as more than a dozen officials in various ranks are due to retire this Friday. We will have to examine the legal aspects as per the special rules of the KSEB whether it’s permissible or not,” a top official told TNIE.