The Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) has finally gone ahead with outsourcing of manpower for 56 power sub-stations in the State to a private firm from Uttar Pradesh.
According to an allotment order issued on May 5, MeECL has authorised BECIL, a private firm from Noida, to take over and manage the 56 sub-stations.
Under the terms of contract, MeECL has to pay BECIL every month Rs 3.5 lakh for each power station plus GST of 18 per cent.
The decision by MeECL to push ahead with this manpower outsourcing has been strongly opposed by various pressure groups, including major political ally of the MDA government, the UDP.
As reported by Highland Post last month, MePDCL authorities had proposed to the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD), Arunkumar Kembhavi, to appoint contractual workers from the State to man the 56 new sub-stations. However, the proposal was turned down by Kembhavi, the sources added.
Sources also informed that in order to show that this outsourcing will be beneficial to the MeEPDCL, Kembhavi instructed the Superintending Engineer (Projects) to prepare the requirement of manpower for each of the 33/11 KV sub-stations.
It was learnt that the Superintending Engineer (Projects) prepared an exaggerated requirement of manpower which was not required at all for the sub stations of 33 KV level so as to escalate the employee cost.
