Power engineers’ outfit opposes proposed Bill

Tribune News Service

Karnal, June 17

The Haryana Power Engineers Association (HPEA) has decided to go on a day’s strike in December against the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014.

The decision was taken in the executive meeting of the association held here on Saturday. The association demanded rationalisation of workload norms in the system at sub-divisions.

The Bill wants to bifurcate the distribution of power into carriage (the distribution network carrying the electricity to consumers) and supply (or the sale of electricity to consumers). Basically, the government will lay down the wires that carry the electricity up to the consumer, while private companies will sell the electricity. This is intended to separate out the more profitable aspects of distribution that can then easily be taken over by the private players.

Padamjit Singh, chief patron, All-India Power Engineers Federation, said: “We have been objecting to the proposed Bill, but no one has paid heed to our protest. So, all workers’ and engineers’ associations across the country have decided to go on strike against the proposed Bill in December.”

KD Bansal, president, HPEA, said zonal meetings had been planned to mobilise engineers for the December strike.

“In the existing system, the workload norms for subdivisions are not revised and all Executive Engineers (XENs) and Sub-divisional Officer (SDOs) are stressed out. In such circumstances, the power supply during the paddy season will be affected. In spite of staff shortage, we are committed to improving the financial and technical health of power utilities, and reducing aggregated technical and commercial losses,” he said.

KK Malik, general secretary, HPEA, said the executive committee demanded arrest of employees responsible for manhandling of SDO of Satrod sub-division in Hisar against whom an FIR had been registered.

He demanded that seven vacant posts of Superintending Engineer in the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) should be filled, as work was suffering. He said extension to Directors should not be given as it affected the career of engineers at subordinate rank.

“The power utilities should get their engineers trained in IT so that they can handle the computerised system with efficiency, he said.

Meanwhile, the HPEA took note against irregularities in awarding contracts. It cited an example of a firm which was capable of executing a contract of only Rs 40 crore per year, but was awarded work of Rs 240 crore.

The law Proposes

• The Bill wants to bifurcate the distribution of power into carriage (the distribution network carrying the electricity to consumers) and supply (or the sale of electricity to consumers)
• Basically, the government will lay down the wires that carry the electricity up to the consumer, while private companies will sell the electricity
• This is intended to separate out the more profitable aspects of distribution that can then easily be taken over by the private players