CHANDIGARH: The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has demanded a high-level investigation from the UP Government into the formation of the All India DISCOM Association and the payments made to it by UPPCL and the other Discoms of Uttar Pradesh. AIPEF has demanded that UPPCL Chairman be directed to either resign from his position as General Secretary of the All India DISCOM Association(AIDA) or be removed from his post as UPPCL Chairman.
AIPEF Chairman Shailendra Dubey in a press release informed that UPPCL and the five electricity distribution companies (Discoms0 of Uttar Pradesh paid Rs.1.38 crores to the AIDA. UPPCL paid Rs 10 lakh for its membership along with Rs.1.80 lakh as GST, totaling ₹11.80 lakh. Additionally, an initial contribution of ₹10 lakh was made separately.. Thus, UPPCL paid a total of ₹21.80 lakh to the AIDA and Similarly, on the instructions of UPPCL other five Discoms have paid ₹21.80 lakh each.
How the loss-making utilities can justify the privatization of Discoms by citing financial losses, while on the other hand, it donates crores of rupees to a private entity AIDA raising serious concerns.
Dubey alleged that there is a massive scam behind the privatization of two Discoms of Uttar Pradesh. To protect Uttar Pradesh’s energy corporations from a major scam, he demanded the immediate cancellation of the privatization decision for these two DISCOMs.
AIPEF reiterated its allegation that the AIDA is operating a parallel administrative system within the Discoms and is fully facilitating their privatization. AIDA is backed by major corporate houses in the country and was established specifically to promote the privatization of Discoms. Several private electricity distribution companies are part of this Association and play a significant role in preparing documents for privatization in Uttar Pradesh and other states.
AIPEF questioned the morality of donating crores of rupees to a private entity under the pretext of losses and then burdening ordinary consumers with the cost.
V K Gupta media advisor AIPEF said that the Director General of the All India Discom Association, retired IAS officer Alok Kumar, confirms that 39 Discoms across the country have already taken membership in the Association and has asked other utilities to follow suit .The AIPEF alleged that crores of rupees are being collected in the name of privatization, leading to rampant corruption