SHILLONG, JUN 8: The Coordination Committee of Registered MeECL Employees Associations and Unions (CCORMAU) has threatened to file FIR against the state government for delaying to clear the pending terminal benefits amounting to Rs 840 crore to retired employees.
Talking to reporters after a meeting held with the power minister James K Sangma on Tuesday, CCORMAU vice president Arju Dkhar said it (failure of the government to clear the terminal benefits) is a criminal offence as per the memorandum of understanding (MoU).
“If things are not moving in the right direction, we may be compelled to file an FIR may be against the chief secretary, against the power secretary, against the MeECL CMD because clauses are there, the MoU has been signed, it is documented…,” Dkhar stated.
He said it is also very unfortunate that some of the retired senior employees have passed away without getting their dues adding “it really hurts us”.
Stating that the retired employees are also deprived of their pensions for two months, Dkhar warned, “If they don’t get their pensions by June 15, 70-90 years-old pensioners may come out to the street and we will stand by them.”
According to him, the terminal benefits amounting to Rs 840 crore has been pending for the past 11 years despite the then chief minister Mukul Sangma had given a clear order in April 2014 that the government will clear the terminal benefits due to employees on a monthly basis.
Dkhar said in 2009, the state government had also written to the central government for an ADB loan in order to put in place a pension corpus fund but it has not been materialised till date whereas in other state utilities, this has come true.
He said the pension corpus which has been assured prior to corporatization has not been honoured by the government.
“So I would request the government to find out where has this deficiency cropped up be it at MeECL level, at the power department level or at the finance level – try to find out on this,” he added.
Asked, the CCORMAU vice president said that the power minister has assured the delegation that he would take up the matter with the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma for necessary intervention and action.
He informed that the delegation has also sought the intervention of the power minister into the move of the state government to handover the distribution circles to the RECPDCL.
“We have taken up these issues and we are thankful to the power minister that he is going to strongly oppose in tomorrow’s cabinet meeting for handing over the distribution circles to the distribution franchisee,” he added.
By Our Reporter
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