Patna, Aug. 24: The state government’s notification regarding bifurcation of Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) to restructure the board in conformity with the central Legislation Electricity Act, 2003, may come under legal scrutiny in the high court.

Some of the unions of workers associated with the board are set to move court challenging the state government’s notification, issued on August 18, which talks of re-structuring the board into five companies — one each for a holding company, transmission and generation, and two companies for distribution.

“We are going to file a petition in the high court challenging the government’s decision to bifurcate the board in to five companies, as it will lead to privatisation. That will ultimately change our service conditions depriving the benefits that the employees, officials and pensioners get. We will pray for declaring the notification as illegal,” Chakradhar Prasad Singh, the general secretary of Bihar State Electric Supply Workers’ Union, told The Telegraph.

Singh said various demands that include service conditions, pension, provident fund and others are being addressed under conciliation proceedings which is pending before conciliation officer who happens to be the labour commissioner of the state.

Sources claimed that the state government has violated the provision of Section 33 of Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 according to which no party should go ahead during the proceedings. If anyone proceeds in the meantime then the officials concerned would be prosecuted.

“We will point out that the government had gone ahead with the notification which is the violation of Section 33 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947,” Singh said.

However, Bihar Jharkhand Rajya Vidyut Parishad Field Kamgar Union, the other union having sizeable presence and followings among the board’s employees, has a different take on the issue.

Its general secretary Amarendra Prasad Mishra told The Telegraph: “This is not yet time to approach the court yet, as the board is not yet dissolved. When the board is dissolved, we will launch a protest.”

Mishra, however, said that his union would approach the court challenging the board’s decision to appoint distribution franchisee in Patna, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur and Gaya, besides initiating the process to appoint franchisee in rural areas of the state to carry out power supply and distribution management system for 11KV feeders.