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Uttar Pradesh powermen today held statewide protests against the alleged move to privatise electricity distribution in four major cities.
The cities are Meerut, Ghaziabad, Kanpur and Varanasi. Agra had already been handed over to Torrent Power under the electricity distribution franchisee model during the previous Mayawati regime.
The protests at district headquarters were organised under the aegis of the UP Power Employees Joint Action Committee (JAC).
Earlier, UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) had denied there was any privatisation move and said the plan was to adopt public private partnership (PPP) model in distribution for greater efficiency.
Meanwhile, the JAC has warned if the ‘privatisation’ move wasn’t rolled back, the agitation would be intensified and ‘indefinite work boycott’ would start on May 13. The Committee has also urged chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to intervene in the matter.
JAC convenor and All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) secretary general Shailendra Dubey noted the government was trying to privatise high revenue areas. “This is a policy of privatising the profits and nationalising the losses,” he had told Business Standard.
The state government through UPPCL had resolved to undertake the renovation, upgradation, modernisation, strengthening, operation and maintenance of the distribution system and sub-transmission system of the four cities under PPP.
The Corporation has solicited ‘request for proposal’ for appointment of technical consultant to prepare a feasibility report for the project.
Quoting UPPCL figures, Dubey said revenue realisation during 2012-13 in the two zones of Ghaziabad city stood at Rs 4.54/unit and Rs 4.38/unit, Kanpur Rs 3.30/unit, Meerut Rs 3.13/unit and the two zones of Varanasi at Rs 2.66/unit and Rs 2.45/unit.
These realisations were much better than the average realisation in UP at Rs 2.35/unit, he added.
UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad has also decried the “privatisation” move in power distribution sector claiming it would be entirely illegal unless approved by the electricity regulatory commission.
