CHANDIGARH: Power sector employees and engineers concerns remains unresolved in Electricity (Amendment) bill 2018 which has been circulated to government agencies, power distribution companies, regulators and industry for their comments.

The Power Ministry has claimed that in its revised version it has incorporated the various suggestions given by the stake holders and the bill seeks to separate content and carriage. The draft bill released yesterday has sought the comments of various agencies within a period of 45 days. However, the letter circulating  draft bill has not sought comments from the power sector engineers and employees ,the  biggest stake holders. 

V K Gupta Spokesperson AIPEF said that  apparently none of the suggestions made by power sector engineers and employees has been included in the revised draft.  The points agreed by power minister Sri Piyush Goyal related mainly that the amendment bill shall be a enabling provision in the act and shall not be mandatory for the states, no cherry picking will be allowed and all the supply licenses will have universal power supply obligation, there will be no compulsion to introduce private power distribution licenses and the states will have the option to go for all state owned power supply licensees. States will have to submit the roadmap in five years and there will not be any time limit to implement to roadmap

The main highlights of the amended draft are the provision of more than one  service operator to supply power to a consumer in one distribution area and no need from regulator for the franchisee or licencee.. Subsidy to the consumer or class of consumer as per the tariff determined by the state regulatory commission  shall be directly transferred to the beneficiary. Besides long term power purchase agreements of 25 years medium term power purchase agreements shall also be considered.

AIPEF will submit its comments on the draft bill well within the stipulated period of 45 days after analyzing the bill clause wise.