The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) in its federal executive meeting decided that the power engineers across the country would resort to a one-day work boycott on January 8, 2020, to protest against the central government's move to introduce multiple private supply licenses.
The one-day nationwide strike/work boycott will be under the banner of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), a broad-based umbrella organisation of 1.5 million power workers & engineers working in power sector of India. It was decided to go on a flash strike, in the event that the proposed amendment bill is introduced in the Parliament during the winter session.
The federal executive was addressed by chairman Shailendra Dubey, secretary-general P Rathnakar Rao, K Ashok Rao and delegates from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, UP, Punjab, Haryana and J&K.
VK Gupta, a spokesperson of AIPEF, said that the federation has termed the draft amendment to the Electricity Act, 2003 as 'very dangerous', saying the proposed changes were aimed at benefitting the big power companies. AIPEF alleged that the draft amendment would result in a steep hike in power tariff, thereby making it unaffordable even for the middle class, let alone farmers and the poor.
AIPEF sought an explanation from the government of India, seeking reasons behind the failure to keep their assurance of cheaper power for all through boosting efficiency and competition among private entrepreneurs with the implementation of Electricity Act, 2003. Multiple times tariff escalation with the connivance of regulators and private players in the power sector gave horrible experience through the last 25 years.
AIPEF notes with utter dismay that the motive of the proposed 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 federation demanded integration of all unbundled power utilities in the form of SEB Ltd and implementation of old pension scheme.