DOIMUKH, Dec 20: Members of the Pare Project Land Affected Welfare Committee (PPLAWC) on Friday staged a dharna outside the office of the head of project of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) here in Papum Pare district, demanding regularization of services of the 48 ITI employees working at the Pare hydroelectric project (PHEP) and the Ranganadi hydroelectric project.
The 48 employees along with their parents and family members participated in the dharna, holding placards, leaflets and banners, and raising slogans against the NEEPCO authorities for failing to regularize their jobs.
Speaking to the media, PPLAWC chairman Gyamar Kuka said that, since the inception of the project, the committee has been
fighting the NEEPCO authorities for the rights of the project affected people, “but they (the authorities) are not seriously addressing the concern.”
“We are running out of patience,” Kuka warned.
PPLAWC general secretary Bengia Tada informed that they had submitted a 20-day ultimatum to the NEEPCO chairman on 19 November in this regard.
“We also met with union MoS (Independent) for Sports & Youth Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, but no response has been received from either the NEEPCO or the MoS. We have no option but to resort to a dharna and protest peacefully,” said Tada.
He said that, following a series of protests and dharnas, there had been an agreement with the NEEPCO authority that regular jobs would be given to the educated youths of the project affected area, and, accordingly, 48 youths who had studied for two years at ITIs in Roing, Tezpur, and other places, had been given jobs.
“However, instead of regular jobs, they were given a contract service of two years. After completion of two years of dedicated services, the NEEPCO again handed a one-year contract service, which is unjustified as per the agreement with the NEEPCO,” Tada said.
“The last date of the contract service of these 48 employees is 30 January, 2020. We want a high-level authority to give us a clear-cut decision in this regard. If not, we will continue with the democratic movement,” he said.
The 110 mw PHEP was commissioned and dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February this year.
