Assam Govt invokes ESMA as ASEB stir begins

GUWAHATI, Feb 16 –The State Government, in exercise of powers conferred by the Essential Service Maintenance (Assam) Act, 1980 has prohibited any strike by the employees of the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) in the interest of public service with immediate effect and will remain in force for a period of six month. Meanwhile the 72-hour statewide strike of ASEB workers called by the Joint Action Committee of ASEB employees began from 6 am today with hundreds of picketeers abstaining themselves from work at various places. According to a release of the committee, over one hundred agitators have been arrested at Namrup and Haflong. The ASEB authorities had to close down a 30 MW power unit at Namrup for lack of manpower to run it following the strike.