Ayodhya (UP), May 27 (PTI) The Ayodhya power department has demanded a penalty of Rs 5.5 crore from the department's trade union leader for staging an agitation against the dismissal of 1,500 electricity department employees.
Talking to PTI, Jai Govind, the district president of Vidyut Mazdoor Panchayat, Uttar Pradesh said that he has received a notice signed by Ashok Kumar Chaurasia, chief engineer of electricity distribution division of Ayodhya.
"Such a notice hasn't been imposed by any department or court in history," he said.
The notice has been issued under Section 3 of the Uttar Pradesh Government Electricity Undertakings Act, 1958
Chaurasia confirmed the notice and the penalty demanded. Speaking to PTI, he said, "The sections of law will be decided by the police and court."
Last month, the services of 1,500 "outsourced" electricity workers were terminated. The department cited the move was aimed at "compliance with standards".
According a letter, Govind has been continuously holding protests "using high-intensity loudspeakers" from April 22 to May 10, affecting departmental work, electricity supply, and revenue collection.
The notice also stated that if he does not pay the penalty within 30 days from the date of receipt of the notice, the full amount, including the cost of the notice, will be recovered as arrears of land revenue.