Hyderabad: A flash strike by power staff that began on Sunday morning is likely to hit crucial services if it continues, officials said. Workers of the APGenco and APTransco — comprising 28 unions under the AP Power Employees Joint Action Committee — are demanding implementation of pay revision.
The Telangana Electricity Employees JAC is not supporting the strike, and this could mitigate the impact of the strike as as generating stations in the region will continue to operate. Talks between the sides which ended in a stalemate late at night will be taken up at 11 am on Monday.
Officials were asking the striking staff to wait for the new state governments to take a decision on the issue. While the strike did not have much impact on Sunday, it is expected that the state will start feeling the pinch in the next couple of days.
The strike could cause a shortfall of power, which would hit water supply, hospitals, railways, industry and agriculture, apart from leaving the state reeling without power even as the summer peaks. The state currently faces a deficit of 22 to 25 million units per day. It was estimated that the power deficit on Sunday night had climbed to 30 mu.
The strike is supposed to affect various essential services. Roughly 1,000 mw worth of generation capacity is either under overhaul or under shutdown due to technical failures.
“Coal based thermal plants are likely to be severely hit by the strike.
Up to 6 pm, generation was not impacted as coal loading had taken place in the morning before the strike started. However tripping of thermal plants in the late hours and through Sunday night is expected as load imbalances will occur,” said K. Eashwar Rao, state president of the AP Power Employees Joint Action Committee.
The pay revision is a policy decision which could result in an additional burden of Rs 1,250 crore on the public. Chief secretary P.K. Mohanty assured the unions that pay revision would be passed immediately after the formation of the new governments.
“We are ready to wait for a few days after which a decision will be taken. TEEJAC is not supporting the strike,” said K.Raghu, Coordinator TEEJAC. The last pay revision for the power sector was done in April 2010 and the next pay revision was due in April 2014.
Mr Mohanty explained, “Pay revision was delayed due to model code of conduct during the elections. The Pay Revision Committee gave its report in March. Special permission was obtained from the ECI for discussion of the report. The report was sent to the state government on May 20,”
Governor E.S.L, Narasimhan reviewed the power supply position and various steps taken by the power sector in the context of the strike. “The Governor has specifically directed the officials to take all possible steps to provide qualitative and uninterrupted power supply to the drinking water schemes, hospitals, railway traction and essential services in particular,” a communique stated.
