National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) has called for a strike on January 8 and 9 demanding changes to the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill-2018. Speaking to media persons here on Saturday, All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) chairman Shailendra Dubey along with secretary general P Rathnakar Rao said around 15 lakh employees of all ranks will take part in nationwide agitation.

They said the agitation was aimed at opposing the bill in the present form and suggested certain changes in the draft bill. They further said that the Central government is unilaterally resorting to amending the Electricity Act-2003 and thereby pushing the public sector undertakings into further financial crisis.

With the amendment, the Union Government is trying to bring more private players into the supply chain and all commercial power supplies will go to private members and DISCOMs will have to take only a few domestic supplies, Dubey said.

“State Electricity Regulatory Commission will not have any power to take a call on tariffs and they will be bounded to accept national Electricity Regulatory Commission’s decision once the proposed Amendment Bill is passed,” he further said.

Rathnakar Rao listed out the demands put forth before the Union government such as withdrawal of Electricity Amendment Bill, integration of all unbundled SEBs in company structure, natural energy resources should not be transferred to private hands, equal wage for equal work, regularisation of all contract employees and others. The association further warned the Union government that if the bill is placed in the ongoing winter session in the Parliament, all the employees and engineers across the country will boycott the work in protest against the proposed bi