LUCKNOW: Power employees across the state boycotted work for two hours and held statewide protest meetings on Monday to oppose the state cabinet’s decision to hand over electricity distribution in five cities to private franchisees.

The state cabinet last week gave its nod for a proposal seeking introduction of distribution franchisee system in Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Meerut and Moradabad, evoking a sharp eraction from power employee unions and consumer bodies.

The state’s power employees boycotted work between 3pm and 5pm on Monday, responding to a call by the UP Vidyut Karmchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti, a joint forum of trade unions.

They also held meetings in various cities against the government move. The joint forum has already called for a statewide work boycott on March 27, warning of an indefinite strike thereafter if the government does not rollback the cabinet decision.

Speaking at a meeting here, All-India Power Engineers Federation chief Shailendra Dubey said on the one hand, the Yogi Adityanath government claimed to have done record work in the power sector during last one year, giving 24-hour supply in cities and 18 hours in villages. On the other hand, it had decided to privatise the distribution of power in five cities.

“Both are contradictory moves. If the reforms are bringing about the desired results, there is no justification for handing over five cities or any city or village for that matter to a private franchisee,” he said. Dubey claimed the PCL had been suffering huge revenue losses in Greater Noida where a private company had an independent distribution licence, as well as in Agra, where a UPPCL franchisee was distributing power.