VIJAYAWADA: Recommendation letters from the ruling party MLAs and MPs to the energy department superintending engineers for filling vacant posts of shift operators at 33 KV sub-stations in APSPDCL and APEPDCL with their candidates and allegations of physical assault on shift operators forcing them to step down so that the recommended candidates get jobs, seem to have created an ungainly situation for the State government.
Due to recent appointment of junior linemen (energy assistants) to village and ward secretariats, around 1,500 vacancies were generated in different sub-stations for shift operators’ post. Some ruling party MLAs and MPs have written letters to officials concerned recommending their candidates for the posts.
United Electricity Contract Workers Union (UECWU) general secretary M Bala Kasi said the recommendation letters and incidents of physical assaults undermine the objective of the State government to usher in transparent governance by eliminating the role of middlemen.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, Bala Kasi said several irregularities in the recruitment of shift operators in 33KV sub-stations took place with MPs and MLAs of the ruling party recommending candidates for the posts. He demanded an independent inquiry into the irregularities. The union leader also attached copies of those letters from MPs and MLAs in the letter to the Chief Minister. In his recommendation letter, Kadapa MP YS Avinash Reddy has recommended 10 candidates, while Pedakurapadu MLA Namburu Sankara Rao recommended 14 and Gurazala MLA Kasu Mahesh Reddy two.
He claimed that YSRC leaders and workers have intimidated serving shift operators to quit their posts and in some cases influenced superior officers to name those serving shift workers for dereliction of duty so that their services are terminated.