MSEB unbundling may be delayed for a toss

Union govt extends deadline over labour issues

The Maharashtra special cabinet meeting convened on Friday to unbundle the Maharasthra State Electricity Board (MSEB) may turn out to be a damp squib.

The Union government is mounting political pressure upon the state administration to defer its corporatisation plans of the power utility for the moment.

Even the cabinet meeting on Wednesday could not arrive at a consensus on the MSEB unbundling proposal as the issue of the division of 96,000 employees of the electricity board has turned into a point of disagreement between cabinet colleagues in the Democratic Front governement.

The MSEB's unbundling has hit a roadblock with Union Energy minister PM Sayyed issuing a six-month extention to the earlier June 10, 2005, deadline and a written assurance to review the Electricty Act, 2003 when he met a delegation of workers' bodies on Wednesday.

Sayyed's meeting with the trade unions that began at 11 am concluded at 4 pm after he issued a written assurance to the delegation leaders AB Bardhan, president of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and E Balanandan, former rajya sabha memer from the Communist Party of India Marxists (CPM).

Vice-president of the MSEB Workers Federation, AD Golandaz, said, "With the Union energy minsiter having extended the deadline for the unbundling and committed to a review of the Electricity Act, 2003, an issue of propriety may be raised if the Maharashtra governent still goes through with issuing a cabinet clearance for its unbundling of the MSEB."

According to well-placed sources, the Union government has sent missives to the Maharashtra government asking it to hold back on its unbundling plans for the moment.

The 14 major unions that represent the 96,000 odd MSEB employees had deferred their decision to hold a nationwide strike on May 31 and June 1, 2005, along with national unions like the All India Federatin of Electricity Employees and Electricity Employees Federation of India based on the assurance given by Sayyed.

Following tomorrows special cabinet meeting the trade unions will meet and chalk out their future course of action.

According to a well placed government official, "Since the state government has expressed its intention to go ahead with the unbundling, tomorrow's meeting may probably decided upon an ambigious unbundling plan open to change subsequently pending Union government decisions."