STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The Power Employees and Engineers Coordination Committee (PEECC), in a meeting of its constituent members held in Jammu, decided to support call of National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) for nationwide protest on August 10, 2021 against introduction of Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021, entailing de-licensing of power distribution. The Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 has been listed for tabling in Monsoon session of Parliament.
NCCOCEE demanded that it should not be rushed through and instead should be referred to Standing Committee on Energy of Parliament. The members of committed said that main stakeholders, consumers & power employees, should be given opportunity to place their viewpoint before placing the Bill in Parliament. The Central Government has not made any effort to discuss the issues with engineers and employees. The move to de-license power distribution is no way to ensure efficient and cost-effective electricity supply to the citizens. Unless the reform is designed scrupulously, taking into account ground realities, the well-intended objective of ‘choice to consumers’ may not be fulfilled, they added.
The meet further said that Electricity Act 2003 allowed privatization of generation through de-licensing and now the proposed Bill will pave path for privatization of power distribution. Private power companies will go for cherry picking in supplying electricity to consumers and prefer to supply electricity to only high revenue earning industrial and commercial consumers, which would drive state discoms to further bankruptcy. The move to abolish cross-subsidy in a time-bound manner and proposing a Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to such consumers by the State governments will snatch away the rights of access to electricity for farmers and poor domestic consumers, they asserted, adding that in a slew of programmes aimed at conveying resentment of employees, a Satyagraha shall be performed across Jammu and Kashmir with memorandums being submitted to respective Deputy Commissioners beginning from July 19, 2021.
The members who participated in meeting included Jaipal Sharma President DEA, Sachin Tickoo General Secretary JKEEGA, Sanjeev Bali President PPEU, Anil Slathia Linemen & Workers Union, Jasbir Singh ITI Employees Union, H D Singh, Parshotam Kumar, Balbir Singh and Kulbir Singh.