Shillong, Feb 11: A delegation of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) met chief minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday and asked the state government to clear the pending terminal benefits to retired employees amounting to Rs 840 crore.

During the meeting, the delegation sought the intervention of the Chief Minister, who told them that he would soon call a meeting with officials of the finance department to discuss and try to find solution.

According to the JAC chairman, T R Pdah, the state government then had promised to pay the terminal benefits to the retired employees before the corporatization of the erstwhile Meghalaya State Electricity Board (MeSEB).

“However even after 10 years, the state government is yet to release the terminal benefits of Rs 840 crore,” he said.

Pdah said the issue was raised during a meeting called by the chief minister in the presence of the chief secretary, CMD, MeECL and other officials of the government.

Terming the meeting a positive one, Pdah said that the Chief Minister has pointed out that Rs 840 crore is a big amount though he assured that he would soon call a meeting with the officials of the finance department to discuss and also come up with a solution to this.

“The JAC has not pressrf that the government should clear the terminal benefits immediately but we want that the payment should start from April this year to which the CM assured to examine the same before he gets back to the committee.

According to the JAC, there are three components under the terminal benefits which include pension, gratuity and leave encashment.

Under the scheme, over 3,000 employees including retired and those appointed before March 2010, will be benefitted.

JAC secretary, Arju Dkhar said that the Rs 840 crore was as per the evaluation done by the experts as on March 2010.

“If going by the actual evaluation, the terminal benefits will by now amount to not less than Rs 2,000 crore,” he said.

Dkhar also informed that the MeECL has to spent from its own revenue Rs 570 crore from April, 2010 to March, 2019 due to the failure of the state government to extend financial assistance.

This is one of the reasons behind the financial crisis being faced by the MeECL, he said adding had the MeECL received the government’s financial support, the question of bailing out the corporation would not arise at all.

He said it is mandatory for the government to release the terminal benefits as per the Electricity Act, 2003 and failing to do so, is a violation of section 132 and section 133 of the Act.