CHANDIGARH:Power Engineers across the country including Punjab and Haryana
will hold protest demonstrations at power utility headquarters and
generating stations against Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 on 29th November,
the first day of the winter session of Parliament.
V K Gupta spokesperson All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF)said
on Sunday that the real objective of the Electricity (amendment ) Bill 2021 is to privatize electricity distribution under the false pretext of giving consumers the choice to choose their distributor with a view to getting cheaper and better service.
The electricity distribution will become the monopoly of a particular operator
selected to distribute electricity in that city or area.
The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 has been framed as per discussion with
industrial lobby and private players to facilitate the privatization of power
distribution network to sell off public assets to private
business houses. He further said that the main stakeholders of the
power sector namely electricity consumers and electricity employees should be given the proper opportunity to express their viewpoint on the bill before placing it in Parliament.
Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 should not be passed in Parliament in haste and it should be referred to the standing committee on the energy of Parliament
Gupta further said that the power employees & engineers across the country are agitating against the unilateral approach of the Central Govt to rush through the Bill in Parliament. He said many provisions of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021
are anti-people and anti-employee and if enacted it will have far-reaching adverse consequences. The electricity amendment bill will put the future of over 25 lakh workers employed by the Discoms as well as their families in danger.
The extensive power distribution infrastructure of Discoms built in last 70 years with
public money will be provided to private distributors to enable them to distribute electricity without making any investment in building their own infrastructure.
This will slowly turn the Discoms financially sick and they will then be sold away at throw-away prices.
National Co-ordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) will be holding a meeting on November 30 in New Delhi to discuss detailed agitational programs during the winter session of the Parliament