Power staff protest privatisation
The Joint Front of Himachal Pradesh Electricity Board Employees and Engineers organised a state-wide protest today against the privatisation of the power department in Chandigarh. Hundreds of employees and engineers gathered outside the board headquarters in Shimla, raising their voices against the sale of public assets.
Joint Front convener Lokesh Thakur criticised the Central government for selling Chandigarh’s electricity department to Eminent Company in 2021 for a sum of Rs 871 crore. He warned that similar privatisation processes are underway in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, which could pave the way for private control of critical public utilities.
As part of their demonstration, the protesters also submitted a memorandum to the President, opposing the privatisation of electricity departments across the country.
Joint Front co-convener HL Verma voiced concerns about the delayed implementation of the old pension scheme in the electricity board by the state government. He also highlighted the diminishing workforce in the electricity board, calling it a pressing issue that requires immediate attention.
The protest underscores growing discontent among electricity board employees and engineers over what they perceive as the erosion of public control over essential services.
