HC directed WB power transmission co to pay DA under 6th pay

The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed the West Bengal State Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (WBSETCL) to pay dearness allowance (DA) to its employees in accordance with central government rate under the Sixth Pay Commission scale.

Passing the order, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha stayed its coming into operation for 15 days on a prayer by the lawyers of WBSETCL for moving an appeal.

A division bench of the high court had on Wednesday refused to interfere with an interim order of a single bench directing the WBSETCL to pay DA to its employees as per the central government rate under the Sixth Pay Commission scale.

The division bench comprising justices Soumen Sen and Saugata Bhattacharya had said that since the issue is being heard by the single bench, it does not find any reason to interfere with the order passed by the single judge at this stage.

The single bench had earlier directed WBSETCL to pay its employees DA at the rate of 154 per cent in accordance with the central government rate under the Sixth Pay Commission in an interim order during pendency of a petition by West Bengal State Electricity Board Engineers' Association (WBSEBEA).

The division bench noted that one of the disputes to be decided by the single bench, before whom the petition by the WBSEBEA was being heard, was with regard to the applicable rate of the DA to be paid to the employees of the WBSETCL.

The division bench disposed of the appeal by the WBSETCL with the observation that in the event of it being found that WBSEBEA is entitled to the DA at the rate of 154 per cent, the differential amount not paid shall attract interest at the rate of 10 per cent per annunm for the period under dispute.