Thousands of power employees and their family members marched to Shakti Bhawan, the Power department headquarters in the state capital, and staged a demonstration there on Thursday, demanding action against the officials involved in UPPCL provident fund scam and guarantee for their money.
The power employees also announced to boycott work for 48 hours from November 18 in support of their demand.
The family members of the power employees, including children, led the march from Hydel guest house to Shakti Bhawan, raising slogans  in favour of their demands that include notification by the government to protect their General Provident Fund and Contributory Provident Fund and action against the erring chairman of the UPPCL.
In the meeting held at the gate of the Shakti Bhawan, the protesting power employees decided to boycott work for 48 hours from November 18 if their demands were not met by then.
They also threatened to go on indefinite strike without any notice if action was taken against any employee for participating in the ongoing protest and said the entire responsibility for it would be on the government and the UPPCL management.
Power Employees Joint Action Committee convenor Shailendra Dubey said here on Thursday that the demonstration was a big success. He said it was a unique scene as the family members of the power employees from far-flung areas joined the protest. “They came by road and trains to be part of this protest,” he said.
Dubey said the government was protecting the guilty officials of the UP Power Corporation Limited and thus they had not sent the letter recommending the CBI probe into the scam to the Centre.
Dubey said that the power employees were demanding notification from the state government for payment of provident fund to the employees and arrest of the former UPPCL chairman who was instrumental in investing the employees GPF and CPF in the DHFL.
The state government has assured the employees that their provident fund and other retirement benefits would be released in a phased manner.
However, the power employees continued their agitation for the tenth day on Thursday, demanding stern action against the guilty officials and government’s guarantee to pay the employees GPF and CPF.
The scam came to light earlier this month when it surfaced that UPPCL Employees Trust had invested around Rs 6,200 crore of GPF and CPF of the power employees in the controversial DHFL, against whom the Enforcement Directorate has launched a probe into its link with the underworld.