CHANDIGARH Power sector employees has given a call for a two days nationwide strike on January  08 & 09 against Electricity (Amendment) bill 201  and privatization of power sector.                                

 National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE)  has decided to resort to two day nationwide strike in its meeting held which  was presided by AIPEF Chairman Shailendra Dubey. The meeting was addressed  by  K O Habib, ,P N Chowdhary,  Mohan Sharma and  K Ashok Rao.

 V K Gupta a Spokesperson of All India Power Engineers Federation said that the meeting termed the revised draft amendment to the Electricity Act, 2003 “very dangerous”, saying the proposed changes were aimed at benefitting “the big power companies.

 It was  alleged that the draft amendment, which has been sent for review to all the states, would result in a steep hike in power tariff, thereby making it unaffordable for the middle class, let alone farmers and the poor. States across the country give subsidised electricity to various categories of consumers — including farmers — and this is one of the primary reasons why many distribution companies across the country are in huge debt currently. If a consumer gets the subsidy directly in bank accounts under DBT, the centre expects that the Discoms would not accumulate more debt. 

The various speakers noted with  utter dismay that the motive of the Bill is to create scope of business for private enterprises in power distribution without any investment. They will be given separate profitable segments like sale of electricity to major industry, commercial establishments, railways splitting from un-remunerative loss making segments like rural households and agricultural consumers.  

The government is pushing the Bill, meant clearly for the profit of private companies, on the false premise that competition will lead to better services for consumers. But the fact is that it is bound to lead to the supply of electricity becoming more expensive — in a country where nearly 30 crore people are still without electricity.

Further this is also likely to lead to a situation where the consumers will either have to pay much higher for the electricity supply, or suffer from erratic supply. In effect, if passed, the legislation would lead to the nationalisation of losses and privatisation of profits, said V K Gupta.