BHEL ‘defers’ interviews, political pressure alleged

The Ramachandrapuram unit of the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) has reportedly postponed the interviews for artisan posts scheduled for November 25, bowing to the pressure by political parties and agitators. Though the BHEL management has not confirmed the postponement, it admitted that some political leaders met them and requested for temporary deferment of the interviews. The BHEL invited applications for the recruitment of 800 artisans in different wings and a written test was held on November 10 on its premises. About 37,000 aspirants appeared for the test out of the total 40,000 applicants. Quota tangle However, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) and some of the Congress leaders demanded that 80 per cent of the recruitment be done through local exchanges, leaving the remaining 20 per cent in open category. TRS Deputy Floor Leader in the Assembly T. Harish Rao, Congress MLC and district Congress Committee (DCC) president V. Bhoopal Reddy, BJP former MLA K. Satyanarayana and corporator Pushpa Nagesh Yadav met the BHEL officials and submitted a representation, urging them deferment of the interviews and asked them to discuss the issue with their corporate office. The BHEL management said to have promised the leaders that it would take up the issue with the ministry concerned. Fair deal sought for locals Earlier in the day, TRS cadres led by Mr. Harish Rao, Mr. Bhoopal Reddy and Mr. Satyananarayana staged a dharna before the BHEL, alleging that the Union government had failed in providing jobs for those who had lost their land to the industry. They also demanded that Medak people get a lion’s share in the jobs as the industry is located here. ref: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/bhel-defers-interviews-political-pressure-alleged/article5360475.ece