Electricity workers and engineers under the banner of the National Co-ordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) has decided to resort to two day nationwide strike/work boycott on January 8 & 9 against the Electricity (Amendment ) Bill 2018 and privatization  policies of central and state Governments.

 V K Gupta a Spokesperson of All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) said that Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2018 further divides the unbundled electricity industry as the distribution company will carry the electricity to the point of consumption and selling electricity to consumer will be done by supply licensee. The motive of bill is to separate the loss making component from profit making component and hand over the profitable part to private sector while keeping loss making part with government. AIPEF notes with utter dismay that the motive of the Bill is to create scope of business for private enterprises in power distribution without any investment.

V K Gupta termed the draft amendment to the Electricity Act, 2003 “very dangerous”, saying the proposed changes were aimed at benefitting “the big power companies. He further 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. 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 his bank account, the centre expects that the distribution company would not accumulate more debt.

 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.

It is very much pertinent to note the plea cited by the Government to enact Electricity Act, 2003 was inefficiency and accumulation of huge losses by state electricity boards. Total accumulated loss after 5 decades of socio-economic development service by state electricity boards was Rs. 23,000 crore only. After 20 years of so called market driven commercial service of all Discoms , summation of accumulated loss and debt burden touched rupees 1 million crore even after multi-times tariff hike.