Privatisation of electric department was protested
Employees of UP Power
Corporation Limited gave strong message of strike to the government in the wake
of privatisation on Tuesday this week; the employees have boycotted their work. The employees
gathered in Lucknow from the state were protesting against the privatisation of
UPPCL. The employees' associations symbolically have expressed their one day protest,
and given premonition to the state government that, if the government did not stand
with them, the associations shall be in compulsion to go on the strike.
Joint Struggle
Electric Employees Committee UP had called to the employees and the engineers of the power
corporation to boycott whole day work.
The committee has
announced giving pace to the agitation and said that the employees and
engineers shall resume their work from 28th March regularly and is to begin
their boycott statewide for 72 hours since 9th April in morning. There shall
have constantly a protest meeting carrying out daily at the project head quarters and the
districts of the state during the forthcoming days.
The engineers and the employees under statewide agitation staged a protest and
Dharna against the government decision in front of Shakti Bhawan in Lucknow.
The agitation was extreme among employees in protest of privatisation of
electric distribution system. The work in offices of UPPCL was fully withheld.
The billing and the recovery work were also withheld. The demonstrators were
chanting the slogans: ‘Urja Mantri Hosh Mie Aao’ (wake up Energy Minister) with the card board in hands.
The president of Electric Technical Unity Union, Ram Pratap Verma, has alleged that no vacancies have
been filled up in this department so far in government's one year tenure. The employees in
short strength and in least resources of
organisation have given better services; yet the government in those districts
where the electric services are normal are going to privatise is wrong step.
Without filling the shortage of employees and providing the resources, the
intention of the gainer districts’ privatisation on the name of giving the
better services to the consumers, the government is fully going to give
benefits to the capitalists.
The general secretary of Association, Ashok
Kumar, told here, “The contribution of employees earnestly to carry this
department in rise whether it is by revenue recovery or by providing electric
connections services to the consumers have played an important role. The
intention of privatisation of this department shows that the government to its
close capitalists is to give the benefit indirectly. On the one hand, the
effects of privatisation is to go on
directly over the employees, on the other hand this will give burden adversely over the public
indirectly.”
He added, “Where the
electric department used to recover the cost per unit Rs 4; now the private
companies will impose the rate of Rs 7 to 10 per unit from domestic consumers. The
consumers where they get relaxation of 2 to 3 months time to pay the bill, now
the private companies will disconnect the electric supply if the bill is not
paid within a month. Where the electric department, giving OTS to consumers, provided
the rebate; the private companies shall give no rebate. The consumers shall
have to face the loss in every situation on privatisation.”
The office bearers of struggle committee have appealed with the government to
withdraw its decision of privatisation in mass public interest. They have
warned that if any employee is victimised or the ongoing peaceful agitation is
repressed, the indefinite work boycott shall be begun in reality without any
notice. The struggling committee announced that if any employee is arrested,
the employees and engineers working at every project and districts will begin
to give their arrests.
The resentment was seen among the protesters at UPPCL head quarter, Shakti Bhawan Lucknow. The offices in Lucknow and of other districts of the state were in the silent shadow.
The resentment was seen among the protesters at UPPCL head quarter, Shakti Bhawan Lucknow. The offices in Lucknow and of other districts of the state were in the silent shadow.
