DW BUREAU / PATIALA

Power sector engineers and employees led by the All India Power Engineers' Federation (AIPEF) and National Coordination Committee of electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) held nationwide lunch hour demonstrations at power utility head offices, thermal plants and other workplaces places today against power privatisation policies of the UP government and in solidarity with power engineers and employees of UP.

The protest demonstrations were held in Telangana, Hyderabad, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttrakhand, all districts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, West Bengal, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh and other states across the country , said VK Gupta, Media advisor of AIPEF.

Joint protest rally at Patiala was held by PSEB Engineers Association, JE Council, Joint Forum, TSU, in solidarity with employees of Uttar Pradesh against the blatant privatisation move and UPPCL order amending Personnel Regulations to take any action without enquiry on UP Electricity Employees and Engineers who are agitating for last183 days against privatisation of Discoms.

The rally was addressed by Padamjit Singh, Chief Patron of AIPEF, Ajaypal Singh Atwal general secretary,PSEBEA, Jagmail Singh and Harpal Singh.

Padamjit Singh, Chief Patron of AIPEF, said that the UPPCL has implemented a draconian order aimed at suppressing the ongoing struggle in UP that is totally illogical. The UPPCL is not following any rule and law even when the tender notice for privatisation has not been issued.

Shailendra Dubey, Chairman of AIPEF, said at Lucknow that there is no need to privatise the UP power sector. The UPPCL is fudging the figures to show more losses to favour and handover the power sector to private parties. 85% of electricity supplied to consumers is the power purchase cost and only 15% are operation and maintenance charges.

Moreover, the defaulting amount of UP government departments is Rs.14400 crore. Last year due to wrong power purchase agreements by UPPCL, the Rs.6761 crores were paid without purchasing any electricity.

Various speakers across the country have issued a stern warning that any harassment of electricity workers in Uttar Pradesh will not be silently tolerated.

(editor@dailyworld.in)