Staff protest Electricity Amendment Bill, privatisation move

Tribune News Service

Hisar, June 1

Electricity employees and engineers staged a protest against the Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 and the move to privatise power distribution in Union Territories here on Monday.

Northern India Power Engineers Federation (NIPEF) Chairman KD Bansal said the amendment Bill notified on April 17 proposed some policy and functional amendments to the Electricity Act of 2003. The quest for profit and greater commercial orientation than government-owned power distribution companies seem to be the only aim of the Central Government, he alleged.

“The Centre seeks to usurp this right of states, which is totally unacceptable. It is unwise to bring legislation that would virtually finish the sector and make it dependent on private companies. In the proposed amendment, there’s no political move at course correction based on experiences gained in more than one decade, for revamping the Electricity Act 2003,” he said.

VK Gupta, spokesperson of All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), said they maintained social distancing during the protest. He said power sector engineers exercised their democratic right by wearing black badges and holding gate meetings in all circle headquarters of states.

KK Malik, general secretary of the Haryana Power Engineers’ Association (HPEA), termed the Bill as “anti-farmer” and “anti-domestic consumer”, as it paves the way for privatisation of the power sector in the country. After its passage, farmers will have to pay a monthly power tariff of Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000, while subsidised domestic consumers will have to pay at least Rs 8 to Rs 10 per unit for consumption of up to 300 units per month.

HPEA president Ram Pal said the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020, has been notified by the Ministry of Power at a time when all forms of meetings, interactions, discussions and protests were choked. “Access to affordable electricity is right and not a luxury and burdening farmers and BPL consumers with high rates are retrograde steps,” he said.