Power workers to hold rally against Electricity (Amendment) Bill in Delhi tomorrow

Power sector workers and engineers from across the country will hold a rally in the national capital tomorrow to protest against privatisation and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014, the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) said today.

"On the call of National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), more than 50,000 power employees and engineers from all states of the country will participate in the rally to be held at Delhi on April 3, 2018," the AIPEF said in a statement.

Earlier workers and engineers' unions had organised protest rallies at state capitals across the country on March 14 against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2014 and memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister were handed over to state authorities, the federation said.

The AIPEF, All India Power Diploma Engineers Federation , All India Federation of Electricity Employees (AITUC), Electricity Employees Federation Of India (CITU), Indian National Federation of Electricity Employees (INTUC), All India Power Men's Federation (AIPMF) and several other unions at state-level are constituents of the NCCOEEE.

The AIPEF said that the bill seeks to create avenue for private houses of making business in power sector without any investment. Splitting of distribution business into carriage and content will create such scope of business with utilization of network set up by public exchequer, it said.

"In another way, we can say that the method is cost to public for profit of private business community."

The federation listed providing power access to 100 per cent population and bringing all power utilities to good financial health and bridging the gap between average cost of supply and average revenue as preconditions for tabling of the the bill in Parliament.

Actual cost of supply exceeds actual revenue receipt by about 65 paise per unit at present, it claimed.