Varanasi News:During the public hearing organized on electricity tariff in Varanasi, the Electricity Employees Joint Conflict Committee, Uttar Pradesh strongly demanded the cancellation of the decision to privatize Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam. Along with the Sangharsh Samiti, consumer councils and consumers of various categories appealed to withdraw this decision, calling the privatization of Electricity Distribution Corporations in Uttar Pradesh as anti -people. Today, a large number of councilors and public representatives reached the public hearing and raised their voice against privatization.
Memorandum submitted to the Chairman of Electricity Regulatory Commission
The delegation of the Sangharsh Samiti also submitted a memorandum in this regard to the Chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Commission, Mr. Arvind Kumar. The delegation led by prominent officials Maya Shankar Tiwari, Shashi Prakash Singh, Ankur Pandey, and Neeraj Bind demanded that the decision of privatization during public hearing on the power tariff increase in Varanasi demanded to withdraw the decision of privatization in the interest of widespread public interest and employees. Mahendra Rai, Central Officer of Sangharsh Samiti and Chairman of Junior Engineers Organization Ajay Kumar were also present during the public hearing.
“False loss figures and agreement violations”
The Sangharsh Samiti alleged that the Power Corporation management has proposed privatization of Purvanchal and Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam by presenting false data of deficit. The committee urged the Electricity Regulatory Commission for cancellation of proposal for privatization and not allowing it, otherwise consumers will get very expensive electricity and will have a huge adverse effect on the service conditions of the employees. He also said that after privatization, thousands of small salaried contract workers are in danger of leaving jobs and regular employees will have to be launched on a large scale. The committee reiterated that privatization is neither in the interest of consumers nor in the interest of employees.
Giving statistics, the Sangharsh Samiti said that the management of Power Corporation is giving a loss by considering tariff subsidy, subsidy of farmers, subsidies of weavers and electricity revenue dues of government departments, arguing that the government has to funds in all these cases, which the government is not ready to bear further. The Sangharsh Samiti said that it is the responsibility of the government to give subsidy and funds of government departments and the government cannot turn away from its responsibility by calling it a loss. He emphasized that this could not be a basis for privatization.
The Sangharsh Samiti also reminded the Chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Commission, Mr. Arvind Kumar, that he had signed a written agreement on 06 October 2020 while being the chairman of the Power Corporation, stating that no privatization would be done in the energy sector in Uttar Pradesh without taking power workers in confidence. The committee said that a unilateral decision of privatization of Purvanchal Electricity Distribution Corporation and Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam is an open violation of this agreement, and hence they should not approve the draft of privatization as the Chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Support of consumers and public representatives
With the Sangharsh Samiti, the Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Council Consumer Council Mr. Awadhesh Verma, while giving all the data, wrongly justified the decision of privatization and said that the Electricity Regulatory Commission should not approve the draft of privatization sent by the Power Corporation under any circumstances.
Indian Industries Association Chairman RK Chaudhary, representatives of weavers, officials of farmers’ organizations, many councilors, gram panchayat representatives and hundreds of other public representatives, while displaying solidarity with the Sangharsh Samiti, demanded in clear terms that the privatization of Purvanchal Electricity Distribution Corporation and South Electricity Distribution Corporation should not be in the interest of consumer and it should be completely rested.
A large number of power workers, junior engineers and engineers were also present during the public hearing in the Commissioner Auditorium in Varanasi. On the 226th day of the ongoing agitation against privatization, electricity workers held extensive public relations on all districts and projects of the state today.
