Power staff to protest Electricity (Amendment) Bill

Tribune News Service

Shimla, January 18

On the call of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), more than 1.5 million power employees and engineers across the country will observe a strike on February 3 against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020, being enacted to privatise the power distribution companies in states. The HPSEB Employees Union, being a constituent of the NCCOEEE, has also decided to adhere to the call partly and will organise demonstrations on February 3 throughout the state in front of HPSEBL offices.

The HPSEBL union termed the Electricity (Amendment) Bill and “Standard Bidding Document” circulated by the Minister of Power during the recent lockdown as “anti-farmer” and “anti-electricity consumer” as it will pave way for the privatisation of the power sector in the country.

It said that the Union Government had violated the concurrent status of electricity to states by dictating on cross-subsidy, DBT to domestic consumer, setting up of electricity contract enforcement authority and dictating on franchising of the electricity distribution.

Strangely, the Centre has issued an order to privatise the electricity systems of UTs even though it was not a part of the Bill, 2020, which reveals the eagerness of privatisation, it said.