Nagpur: The indefinite strike launched by employees and engineers of Maharashtra’s three state-run power companies entered its second day on Thursday, with the second round of talks between union leaders and senior government officials ending without any resolution.
Mohan Sharma, President of the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) Workers Federation, said that representatives of seven unions met top officials of the State Government but the discussions failed to yield a breakthrough. “Since Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was preoccupied with other engagements, the government could not take any policy decision on our demands. We are hopeful that a meeting with the Chief Minister on Friday will bring some positive outcome,” Sharma said.
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The employees are protesting against the State Government’s decision to issue licences to private companies in the power distribution sector, calling it a step towards privatisation that would undermine the very foundation of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL). They are also opposing MSEDCL’s decision to outsource technical manpower at 329 sub-stations across the State, excluding Mumbai.
In Nagpur, striking employees assembled at the MSEDCL Regional Director’s office on Katol Road and held a “gate meeting” under the leadership of Mohan Sharma. The union leaders strongly criticised the government’s policy and called for continued unity among the workers.
On the government’s side, Principal Secretary (Energy) Abha Shukla, MSEDCL CMD Lokesh Chandra, and other senior officials participated in the talks with the union representatives.
The unions claim to represent around 86,000 permanent employees and engineers, along with 42,000 contractual workers. They have warned that the strike could affect maintenance work and delay responses to fuse call complaints.
However, MSEDCL officials have maintained that the strike has not disrupted power distribution anywhere in the State. The company said it has deployed around 20,000 external workers, along with employees who have not joined the agitation, to ensure uninterrupted services. Senior officials are monitoring the situation round the clock from the control room at Prakashgad headquarters in Mumbai.
