Crucial talks to defuse KSEB crisis on Thursday

Govt keen to end tussle after chairman Ashok hinted at graft during former minister M M Mani’s tenure; min calls for talks with union leaders
Crucial talks to defuse KSEB crisis on Thursday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As the indefinite protest by the trade unions in Kerala State Electricity Board Limited entered the third day on Wednesday, all eyes are on the conciliatory talks convened by Power Minister K Krishnankutty on Thursday. With the controversy triggered by KSEB chairman and managing director B Ashok going out of hand, the LDF government wants to put an end to the crisis at the earliest.

The state cabinet meeting and the meeting of the CPM state secretariat, which will be attended by former power ministers M M Mani and A K Balan, will also take place on Thursday and the issue is likely to be debated at the party meeting too.

It is reliably learnt that the government is unlikely to yield to the pressure of trade unions to remove Ashok from the post though there is a growing discontent in the CPM over his style of functioning. The senior bureaucrat has the support of Krishnankutty and, moreover, there is a prevailing feeling that succumbing to the pressure of unions and Opposition wouldn’t be a good signal, especially since the government wants to bring in several pathbreaking changes in various departments.

It is learnt that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is upset over the worsening of the controversy. A day after Krishnankutty and former minister Mani went public with their opposing views on the crisis in KSEB, senior CPM leader and former power minister Balan said the circumstances in which the employees had to start a strike should have been avoided.

Stepping up his attack, M G Suresh Kumar, president of KSEB Officers’ Association, alleged that there was a ploy on the part of the CMD and a section of the management to highlight that there were serious security loopholes in the board’s software. “They are keen to get a new software from outside. Otherwise, why should the CMD come up with a post in the official page of KSEB informing that the lock of the almirah in the house is faulty? There is no door lock and no security personnel,” said Suresh Kumar.

Though Ashok has claimed to bring in positive changes to the board over the last eight months after taking over from N S Pillai, former CMD, the trade unions do not agree. If KSEB had been reeling under a yearly loss of Rs 1,200 crore, the revenue gap was brought down to Rs 200 crore during Pillai’s tenure, they point out.

On Wednesday, the senior deputy accountant-general’s audit report implicating the board on the pay revision and allowances without seeking the government’s nod came to the fore. The report stated that the estimated annual additional financial commitment towards pay would come to `543 crore, besides arrears worth `1,011 crore until February 2021.

“KSEBL is a PSU running on a self-revenue-generating mechanism. The cadre pay hike is very nominal, between Rs 400 and Rs 500, when compared to the three-four board members who are getting Rs 5,000 per month. The finance and power secretaries have approved the cadre pay. So how can the senior deputy accountant-general say it has not got the government sanction?” asked P S Prasanth, general secretary of Kerala Electricity Officers Confederation.

Ashok to stay
It is reliably learnt that the government is unlikely to yield to the pressure of trade unions to remove Ashok from KSEB chairman’s post though there is a growing discontent in the CPM over his style of functioning

Power struggle

Soon after taking charge as the KSEB CMD on August 23, 2021, B Ashok issued an order that KSEB Officers Association did not have organisational freedom. This created a rift between him and the association

He then decided to introduce uniform (T-shirt) to employees interested in wearing it following a decision taken in the board meeting. Trade unions, however, blocked the move

KSEB decided to purchase 1,200 electric cars. KSEBOA opposed it and approached the CM. The proposal was blocked

Trade uniuon challenged KSEB giving a memo to a woman assistant executive engineer for not addressing the issue of a consumer who was interested in setting up a rooftop solar plant

A KSEBOA office-bearer and a board member addressing each other by name antagonised the CMD who issued a memo

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