The politics around power in Kerala

The tussle involving KSEB comes at a time when the State’s power sector is poised for changes

Over the past several weeks, Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram has been witnessing a protracted struggle between the management and the pro-Left officers’ association of the government-run power utility, the Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEB).

Even for a State where strikesare scarcely a novelty, the stand-off has remained headline material, largely due to the multiplicity of narratives in play. The suspension of a woman officer, who allegedly went on unauthorised leave in March, had drawn protests from the pro-CPI(M) officers’ organisation — the KSEB Officers’ Association (KSEBOA).

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The KSEBOA called a half-day protest on April 5, to which the management responded with a dies-non order. The protest, however, went ahead as planned, and two more officers — the state president and general secretary of the association — were placed under suspension. Soon after, the KSEBOA began an indefinite stir outside the KSEB headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram, urging the management to drop its confrontational approach. Although all three officers were subsequently reinstated in service, they were shunted out from their posts.

On April 20, the Electricity Minister, K. Krishnankutty, announced that the KSEB management would settle the matter peacefully, but the tensions show no signs of easing. The KSEBOA has ended the first stage of its stir, and is poised for a much more intense second phase.

At one level, the entire episode is perceived as an intra-institutional tug-of-war — a 1998 batch IAS officer heading the state-run company versus individuals leading the KSEBOA. But beyond it, the tussle has ignited a debate on trade unionism, although the management argues that the statute permits only workmen category to engage in trade union activities.

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