CHANDIGARH:National Convention of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers(NCCOEEE) will be held in New Delhi on 2nd August against Electricity Bill 2022 where leaders of all political parties in Parliament will be invited and briefed about the antipeople provisions of the bill, said V K Gupta Spokesperson All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) on Thursday..
NCCOEEE will request them to oppose the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022
whenever it is placed in Parliament. All India Trade Union leaders and Sanyukt Kisan Morcha leaders will also be invited to the National Convention.
V K Gupta said that the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 aims to help
private players in looting by using the infrastructure of the state
distribution companies without making any investment.
There is a need for “a comprehensive white paper” eliciting the states'
and the main stakeholders like consumers, electricity workers, and employees.
views, before proposed amendments in the Electricity Act 2003 are finalised.
State governments cannot afford to ignore the far-reaching implications of the Bill
and must oppose the push to privatise the discoms. The proposed Bill will weaken the finances of state distribution companies and will have an adverse impact on subsidized consumer and utility employees.
The government claims that the consumers will get a choice in the selection of a power company and will get cheaper power. The suburban areas of Mumbai have two licensees operating in the same area, viz Tata and Adani, and consumers have the choice of selecting the supply provider. The experiment has failed since competition has not yielded lower tariffs, and instead tariffs are regarded as the highest in the country.
Government should look into the country's energy interests and not advocate for private players at the cost of consumers. Privatisation of the power sector will prove expensive for the public while this may be a boon for a few industrial houses.