Power staff protest Amendment Bill

Tribune News Service

shimla, July 19

Power engineers and employees held a protest meeting here today against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021.

They pledged to go on a one-day strike on August 10 if the Bill was not withdrawn by the Centre. The Bill has been listed for the monsoon session of Parliament.

Lokesh Thakur, president, Himachal Power Engineers’ Association (HPEA), said the Bill should be referred to the Standing Committee on energy. “Power consumers and employees should be given the opportunity to place their views,” said Thakur.

He said the Bill would pave the way for the privatisation of power distribution through de-licensing. “Private power companies will go for cherry picking in supplying electricity to consumers and will prefer to supply electricity to only high-revenue earning industrial and commercial consumers,” he said.

The office-bearers of various organisations will hold a four-day satyagraha at Shram Shakti Bhawan, New Delhi, from August 3 after holding state-level conventions of power employees and engineers in all state capitals on July 29.

Thakur said the consumers and power sector employees and engineers were being ignored in finalising the draft Bill. “The Centre has not made any effort to discuss the issues with the staff,” he said.