THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The intervention by senior LDF leaders has succeeded in arriving at a formula to end the indefinite protest by trade unions in front of the KSEB headquarters. The conciliatory talks held at the CPM’s AKG Centre ended on a positive note and the second round of talks with more representatives of employees will be held on Friday, Power Minister K Krishnankutty said on Thursday.
According to sources, LDF convener A Vijayaraghavan presented a compromise formula before the minister, CITU general secretary Elamaram Kareem and CPI state secretary Kanam Rajendran who is also the president of Kerala State Electricity Workers’ Federation. The protest by KSEB employees entered the fourth day on Thursday.
“We hope to resolve the issue by holding talks with the office-bearers of the protesting trade unions on Friday. We are here not to escalate the issue, but to settle it. I have always stood for justice and do not know whether CMD B Ashok has committed anything wrong,” said Krishnankutty. It was Krishnankutty who had brought then power secretary Ashok to KSEB’s helm as the CMD. The duo had worked together in the water resources department during the previous government.
Krishnankutty’s predecessor M M Mani, who was also at AKG Centre, didn’t hide his displeasure at his successor escalating the issue. He said his hands were clean in the deal which saw tourism societies that owed allegiance to the CPM getting poramboke land to develop them as tourist sites. He alleged that it was during the Oommen Chandy government’s tenure that the maximum corruption had occurred under former power minister Aryadan Muhammed.
“The land for hydel tourism was given to agencies concerned after calling tenders. My relatives have not got any land and our hands are clean. I had sought a vigilance inquiry when the allegation arose, but I do not know what transpired later,” said Mani.
“A consensus would be reached during Friday’s talks with the power minister. We have not demanded that CMD Ashok should be ousted. He deserves an honourable exit. We know that the timing is inappropriate with the budget session of the assembly starting on Friday,” M G Suresh Kumar, president, Kerala State Electricity Board Officers’ Association, told TNIE.
K Jayaprakash, general secretary of KSEB Workers Association, which owes allegiance to the CITU, told TNIE that the LDF government wants to end the indefinite protest on Friday itself.