TDP national general secretary, Nara Lokesh, on Thursday demanded that the State Government immediately initiate measures to resolve the problems being faced by energy assistants in the State.

In a letter to the Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy, the TDP general secretary said that the energy assistants have brought the problems that they are facing in discharging their duties to his notice. “After studying their problems in depth, I understand that the issues are genuine and thus I am writing to you to initiate immediate steps to resolve them,” Lokesh said in the letter.

Pointing out that the secretariat system has been brought into existence after Jagan Mohan Reddy came to power, the TDP general secretary said that the 1.34 lakh vacancies in various wings have been filled of whom 7,329 are appointed as energy assistants.

To interact with the consumers at the grassroots level and to solve any kind of problem that comes to their notice is their primary responsibility and ensure that there is no disruption in power supply.

Instead of making use of their services in the secretariats, they are being treated as slaves following which they are being subjected to terrible mental harassment, Lokesh said and pointed out that these employees are working with no leaves and no holidays even for festivals.

They have been drawing a meagre monthly salary of Rs 13,500 for discharging most dangerous duties. Though employees working in 19 of the 20 wings in the secretariat system are declared probationers, these energy assistants have been left out, Lokesh said and demanded that they be upgraded into probationers with immediate effect on a par with other secretariat employees.

Their life is under constant threat as they are not given proper training in dealing with the electric problems, he said, adding that even the benefits given to the electricity department staff members are not extended to the energy assistants as they are being treated as secretariat employees. Thus, their genuine demands to declare probation and to treat them on a par with the electricity department staff members be immediately conceded, Lokesh asked. They should immediately be given benefits like medical and cycle allowance besides granting them earned leave, the TDP general secretary said.