MeECL-JAC suspend agitation, wants senior bureaucrat as CMD

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaAugust 24, 2020

Announcing its decision to suspend the proposed statewide agitation, the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited – Joint Action Committee (MeECL JAC) has demanded the state government to immediately appoint a senior bureaucrat as a full time chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) of the corporation.

In a letter to the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday, JAC chairman PK Shullet said, “The suspension of agitation is purely in good faith and with expectations that the government will expedite the process of posting a senior IAS officer as full time CMD, MeECL in view of the urgency of the matter.”

He said since the functioning of MeECL comes under the purview of the essential services maintenance Act, having in place a sound management becomes all the more important and necessary.

The JAC had earlier proposed to stage a four-day protest against the policies of the management that are not only detrimental to the organization but also discriminatory in nature, by raising banners, placards and black flags from August 25 to August 28.

Hailing the government’s decision to restructure the management of the MeECL, the JAC requested the intervention of the chief minister to ensure that the process of restructuring of the MeECL management is done at the earliest.

“(However), it will be bound by the interest of the organization to re-launch the agitation if otherwise,” Shullet said.

Recently, the opposition Congress had questioned the state government’s decision to appoint a junior officer to head the management of the MeECL, as it was never done before.

According to the party, the present CMD is also holding three other posts as a Director of Corporation, as Director of Finance in the MeECL Board of Directors and as Joint Secretary of the Power department.