The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government and the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS) to respond to a writ petition filed by 85 Project-Affected Persons (PAPs) seeking regular employment benefits and the regularisation of their long-term service.
A division bench of Justices Anil Kilor and Rajnish Vyas (Nagpur bench) issued notices on November 21 while hearing the petition filed through advocate Ashish Fule.
In their plea, the PAPs said they have been working at CSTPS for several years but continue to be designated as trainees, denying them the benefits and security associated with regular employment. They described it as a “long-standing practice” that violates statutory and administrative safeguards meant to protect project-affected families.
The petition cited:
- Government Resolution dated January 21, 1980,
- Maharashtra Project Affected Persons Rehabilitation Act, 1999, and
- Administrative circulars of the state’s power generation and distribution utilities.
According to the petitioners, these legal provisions mandate preferential treatment and timely regularisation of PAPs employed due to displacement from major projects.
The petition also questioned a December 26, 2024 recruitment advertisement, alleging that CSTPS failed to apply the compulsory five percent reservation for PAPs under the existing quota policy. The omission, they argued, further diluted statutory safeguards meant for individuals who lost land and livelihood due to the thermal power project.
The PAPs have sought directions to both the state government and CSTPS to:
- Regularise their services,
- Extend all service-related benefits, and
- Ensure proper implementation of PAP reservation norms.
The High Court has directed the respondents to file their replies. The next date of hearing will be fixed subsequently.
