Electricity employees and engineers across the country on Tuesday joined hands to observe a protest demonstration against the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 and the move to privatise the power distribution in union territories.

The engineers have termed the bill as “anti-farmer" and "anti-domestic consumer" as it paves the way for privatisation of the entire power sector in the country. After its passage, the farmers will have to pay a monthly power tariff of Rs five to six thousand, while subsidised domestic consumers will have to pay at least Rs eight to ten rupees per unit for consumption of up to 300 units per month.

The Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 has been notified by the Ministry of Power at a time when all forms of meetings, interactions, discussions and protests are choked.

VK Gupta spokesperson of All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) confirmed that the power sector employees and engineers exercised their democratic right by wearing black badges and holding gate meetings across the country.

The bill notified on April 17 proposes some policy amendments and functional amendments to the Electricity Act of 2003.

“The Central Government has violated the concurrent status of electricity to states by dictating on cross-subsidy, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to farmers and BPL consumers, setting up of ECEE (electricity Tribunal) and dictating on franchising of electricity distribution. Further, the government has moved one step ahead and issued orders to privatise the electricity systems of UTs,” said officials of the AIPEF.

The policy of cross-subsidy was introduced to provide electricity to citizens and farmers at cheaper rates as compared to commercial and industrial consumers. Now to abolish the cross-subsidy in a time-bound manner and proposing a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to such consumers, the state governments will take away the rights of access to electricity for them.

“The Centre seeks to usurp this right of states which is totally unacceptable. It is unwise to bring legislation that would virtually finish the state sector and make the entire power supply sector dependent on private companies,” said power engineers who have been opposing the move.