KSEB chairman B Ashok transferred to agriculture department

Thiruvananthapuram: KSEB Chairman and Managing Director B Ashok has been transferred to the Department of Agriculture as its secretary. Rajan Khobragade will take charge as the new chairman at KSEB.

Following the clash that erupted between KSEB employees unions and Ashok, the government was reportedly pressed for removing him from the post. The cabinet summoned on Wednesday had decided to transfer Ashok. Later, the order regarding this was released on Thursday.

B Ashok and pro-Left KSEB Officers’ Association (KSEBOA), were engaged in a skirmish lately. Ashok was appointed to KSEB only a year back. Several measures he adopted following this had provoked the unions. Ashok transferred and suspended several officers triggering widespread protests.

In April this year, the CPM state leadership intervened in the matter to settle the issues as the association called for an indefinite sit-in strike in front of Vydhuthi Bhavan. Former minister AK Balan who had handled portfolios including electricity had a talk with Krishnankutty. The decisions of the Board, including the suspension of individuals who organised protests, had raised the eyebrows of individuals in CPM leadership.

The stand-off erupted over the suspension of the executive engineer Jasmin Banu. The High Court had revoked the suspension. But Ashok transferred her to another post.

MG Sureshkumar (president) and B Harikumar (secretary) of the association were suspended for ‘barging into the chairman’s conference and raising allegations’. The board had decided to take stringent action against 20 other officials for the same.

Electricity minister Krishnankutty struggled to control the clash. The union and KSEB arrived at a consensus after multiple rounds of talks.