Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Feb 3: The J&K Power Employees Coordination Committee (JKPECC) today reiterated its opposition to the privatization of KPDCL, stating that it would be akin to a sword that would affect every citizen.
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Addressing a press conference, Nasir Bhat, president, JKPECC said that stakeholders, tourism players, and the general public would soon realize the negative effects of the move, urging them to raise the issue with elected representatives.
“Privatization is a sword, and it will affect everyone. In the end, stakeholders and consumers will realize it’s a wrong move, and before that happens, we want them to speak out and take up the matter with legislators,” he said.
He added that they have witnessed the privatization of the power sector in various other states and are well aware of who benefited from it.
“Wherever it happened, it caused losses; it benefited a select few, while the common people suffered. A unit that costs Rs 3 will rise to Rs 10,” he said.
President said that when they learned about the proposed move, JKPECC launched a campaign against it, leading to the cancellation of a meeting that was supposed to be chaired by the Chief Secretary on the matter.
“While we welcome this, we won’t be under the illusion that the matter has ended, as we have seen in the past how such issues were decided and suddenly brought to the forefront,” he said.
The JKPECC stated that they are ready for any struggle to prevent the “destruction” of the department, urging the Government not to take any steps that could lead to uncertainty.
“We have opposed this move since the unbundling in 2019. We know who was responsible for it, and we also know who has done what to lead to the department’s destruction,” he added.
He reiterated that the JKPECC will not allow the privatization of KPDCL to proceed and emphasized, “Whatever needs to be done to prevent this, we will do it. We urge the CM to break the silence on this matter.”
The JKPECC also highlighted that significant funds have been spent on various schemes aimed at reforms, and with the active involvement of workers, the department has been performing well in terms of revenue.
“Daily wagers are contributing to the increase in revenue, which is evident on the ground. They play a vital role, yet despite that, the work is being handed over to private players, which raises serious questions,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, KPDCL has stated that the issue of privatization is not currently under active consideration by the J&K Government.
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