The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has reinstated B. Harikumar, the KSEB Officers' Association (KSEBOA) general secretary who was suspended following a KSEBOA stir on April 5, in service, but he has been transferred to Palakkad.
Mr. Harikumar, who was serving as Assistant Executive Engineer, Dyuthi Project Monitoring Division, Ernakulam, has been shunted out as Assistant Executive Engineer, Anti Power Theft Squad (APTS), Palakkad.
Earlier, the KSEB management had similarly reinstated two other suspended officers, KSEBOA State president M. G. Suresh Kumar and State office-bearer Jasmin Banu A., but both were transferred out of the districts where they were working.
The action had sparked protests from the KSEBOA, prompting it to continue with its indefinite stir outside the Vydyuthi Bhavan, the KSEB headquarters at Pattom in the capital. The indefinite stir, which began on April 11, entered the sixth day on Saturday.
The KSEBOA is planning to intensify the protest by surrounding the Vydyuthi Bhavan on April 19.
Meanwhile, there were reports that Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty would step in this week to settle the differences between the striking pro-Left officers’ association and the KSEB chairman and managing director B. Ashok.
Responding to the reports, Mr. Krishnankutty said no formal discussions have been planned, but he would meet the KSEBOA members if they wanted it. Mr. Krishnankutty had earlier taken the stand that the dispute would be settled within the KSEB.
Although the director board of the KSEB held talks with the KSEBOA leaders last week, the talks remained inconclusive.
