The 'Palli Vidyut Samiti Anti-Discrimination Movement' has made two demands, including the removal of REB chairman, in protest against the deliberate filing of false cases against the officials of Palli Vidyut Samiti, the arrest of some of them and the permanent dismissal of 10 officials. They have announced a 'complete shutdown' program if their demands are not met within 24 hours. They also said that 45,000 officers and employees will be forced to march towards Dhaka to fulfill the two-point demand.
Thursday (October 17) on behalf of Palli Vidyut Samiti anti-discrimination movement coordinator AGM Md. Salahuddin, Abdul Hakim, DGM. Asaduzzaman Bhuiyan and AGM Engineer Rajan Kumar Das issued this press release.
According to the notification, since the beginning of this year, Palli Vidyut Samiti has been agitating for the two-point demand of REB-POBIS (Rural Vidyut Samiti) merger, implementation of uniform employment rules and regularization of all contractual or irregular employees. A committee of 9 members was formed on August 1 and 4 meetings of the committee were held for the logical solution of other problems including reforms.
Although the meetings were held in stages, the committee could not make final recommendations due to REB's direct non-cooperation in the government's reform initiative (being absent from the meeting, not presenting the reform proposal as per the decision of the meeting, later proposing to maintain the existing structure, secretly taking the initiative to amend the law, etc.). Presenting demands through appropriate authorities with public signatures, strike for 5 days last May and 10 days in July while maintaining customer service and power supply, long march to REB in August, cancellation of program considering public grievances after declaring public holiday with 72 hours ultimatum, simultaneous withdrawal of DC office and Human chain in front of the National Press Club, by informing the local administration, the program of giving memorandum to the Chief Adviser and Vidyut Adviser several times was carried out.
In this situation, the Rural Electrification Board deliberately filed a false case against the officials of the Rural Electricity Association, some people were arrested on October 17 and 10 officials were permanently dismissed from their jobs. The agitators demanded the removal of the Chairman of the Rural Electrification Board within the next 24 hours, the order to terminate the employment of the officers of the association and the withdrawal of the false case for biased behavior and creating instability without playing a neutral role in a non-violent movement. Otherwise, it was warned that 45 thousand officers and employees will be forced to make a long march towards Dhaka to get their demands by declaring a 'complete shutdown' program.
