CHANDIGARH: Lakhs of power employees and engineers across the country today including from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Haryana held work boycott and protest rallies demanding rollback of privatization in the power sector (Distribution, Transmission and Generation), withdrawal of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2025, withdrawal of the proposed National Electricity Policy, 2026 and stop the ongoing privatization restoration of the Old Pension Scheme for power sector employees.
Shailendra Dubey, Chairman All India Power Engineers Federation said that for the first time, farmers’ organizations and central trade unions are also standing with us. With the participation of power sector employees, engineers, workers and farmers today it has become one of the largest industrial actions in independent India, Dubey said. AIPEF has also raised concerns that privatisation of the power sector, including distribution, generation and transmission, would be detrimental to poor consumers, small and medium industries, and the general public.
In Punjab there was a complete strike by various employees unions and Powercom engineers refused the strike duties said Ajaypal Sigh Atwal General Secretary PSEB Engineers Association.The work boycott by employees was clearly visible in major cities and towns.
The work boycott was held in almost all states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand, West Bengal, Karnataka, Telangana, Tamilnadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh.The memorandum of demands were submitted to Discoms MD, state government and central government, said V K Guota media advisor AIPEF.