NN Online:
The Bangladesh Palli Bidyut Association (BPBA) has alleged that more than 4,000 officials and employees of the Palli Bidyut Samiti have faced punitive actions—including dismissals, forced transfers, attachments, and various forms of harassment—over the past four months.
In a press release issued to the media on Wednesday, the association claimed that the Rural Electrification Board (REB), the regulatory body overseeing the Samitis, is retaliating against employees demanding reforms in the essential power distribution sector, which connects urban power sources to rural consumers.
According to the BPBA, 29 staff members have been terminated without notice, while others have been subjected to legal harassment, including arrests, remand, suspensions, and widespread forced transfers—many to remote districts far from their original postings.
A breakdown of the affected personnel shows:
Line Crew: 673, Junior Engineers: 589, ECs: 290, PUCs: 121, Billing Supervisors: 308, Assistant General Managers (AGMs): 580, Deputy General Managers (DGMs): 179, Senior GMs/GMs: 36, Others: 907, Total Punitive Transfers: 3,683.
The association argued that these transfers serve no operational purpose and are instead politically motivated efforts to obstruct reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government.
BPBA leaders further accused the REB of intensifying repression to derail reform processes intended to resolve longstanding institutional challenges within the REB and the Samitis.
Since January 2024, around 45,000 Palli Bidyut employees have been conducting peaceful movements—such as mass signature campaigns and memorandum submissions—while continuing to maintain uninterrupted electricity services. Their demands include uniform implementation of a service code across the REB and Samitis, regularization of irregular staff, and investigations into alleged corruption, favoritism, and discriminatory practices by the REB.
Though the government has occasionally responded with the formation of committees and reform plans, BPBA claims the REB has persistently taken deceptive actions to delay or sabotage these initiatives.
The association urged the government to seriously consider the legitimate demands of the 45,000-strong Palli Bidyut workforce. Their key calls include:
Immediate withdrawal of false and harassing legal cases.
Reinstatement of dismissed employees.
Cancellation of all suspension and attachment orders.
Public release of the expert committee’s reform report.
Regularization of all contractual and irregular workers.
Revocation of mass transfer orders to ensure uninterrupted service and worker safety.
The statement was signed by affected officials including AGM Monir Hossain, employee Golam Mostafa (MRCM), line technician Moinul Islam, and junior engineer Hasanuzzaman, among others.
