Nearly 2.7 million government power engineers and employees today announced to observe ‘Black Day’ on January 1 to protest against the alleged privatisation bid in Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh and Rajasthan.
The latest trigger of stir is the decision of the UP power utility to demerge two distribution companies (discoms) viz. Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited, into five separate entities for efficiency.
Under the plan, the proposed five smaller discoms will be operated under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
The powermen allege it is a precursor to the privatisation of the UP discoms, although the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has refuted saying it would continue to retain management and operational control.
Now, the powermen under the aegis of All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) comprising 1.5 million regular and 1.2 million contractual engineers and workers pan-India, have intensified the stir against the alleged privatisation in UP and other states.
“We have given representation to the different state governments and also the Centre to rescind privatisation in the larger interests of the consumers and the long term power sector sustainability,” AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dubey said.
Meanwhile, the powermen today held protests decrying the privatisation of the public sector power assets in different states.
“We have received the support of a dozen other government sector employees’ bodies apart from farmers in our fight against the tentacles of privatisation,” Dubey claimed.
He said the powermen would tie black bands while performing their duties on January 1 to register their protest.
Meanwhile, the Yogi Adityanath government is mulling over reforms owing to the UP discoms’ accumulated losses topping Rs 1.18 trillion in five entities viz. Madhyanchal (Lucknow division), Dakshinanchal (Agra), Purvanchal (Varanasi), Paschimanchal (Meerut) and KESCO (Kanpur).
The proposed five newly carved entities in Purvanchal and Dakshinanchal are expected to serve 3 to 3.5 million consumers each. Purvanchal accounts for the maximum accumulated losses among the five discoms in UP.