VRANASI: Electricity employees and engineers staged a massive protest at the Mahavishal Bijli Maha Panchayat at Varanasi on Saturday and sent a letter to the Prime Minister who is also a local MP demanding cancellation of the electricity privatization process in Uttar Pradesh.
Bijli Maha Panchayat gathering at Varanasi was addressed by Subhash Lamba f of National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers. Jaiprakash vice President of All India Power Diploma Engineers Federation and teacher leader Reena Tripathi , Shailendra Dubey, Jitendra Singh Gurjar, and others on behalf of Vidyut Karamchari Joint Sangharsh Samiti.
Shailendra Dubey said that the Managing Director of Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam not only got the main gate of Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam closed to prevent the electricity mahapanchayat from being held in the premises of the corporation, but also tried to unnecessarily create industrial unrest in this way. The agitation will continue till the decision to privatise power in all the 42 districts is withdrawn
The main resolution passed in the electricity mahapanchayat states that privatization of electricity is neither in the interest of farmers and poor electricity consumers nor in the interest of electricity employees. The resolution states that privatization of electricity will increase electricity rates by at least two to three times. Due to the private sector in Mumbai, the electricity rates for domestic consumers range from 17 to 18 rupees per unit, while in Uttar Pradesh the maximum electricity rates for domestic consumers are also Rs 06.50 per unit. Similarly, in the private sector, the electricity rates in Kolkata are 12 rupees per unit and in Delhi 10 rupees per unit. In Uttar Pradesh itself, there is a private company in Greater Noida and Agra which is not giving free electricity to the poor for tube wells.
Giving the example of Agra, it was told that the Power Corporation is incurring a loss of Rs 275 crore annually by handing over the power supply to Torrent Company. AT&C losses in Agra are 9.86. Whereas in government-controlled Kanpur, it is only 8.6. In Agra, electricity is being bought at Rs 5.55 per unit and sold to Torrent at Rs 4.36 per unit. Despite this, the Energy Minister of the state is adamant on privatizing the power distribution of 42 districts of the state.
In the electricity Mahapanchayat of Varanasi, a call was given to march to the huge rally to be held in Lucknow on 9 April.