Electricity Employees March to Indian Parliament

January 2005 - March 2005 Index

ELECTRICITY EMPLOYEES MARCH TO PARLIAMENT

B.S. MEEL

The Electricity Employees under the banner of National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers assembled at Ram Lila Ground, New Delhi on 1oth December,2004 coming in big strength from every states across the breadth and length of the country, numbering over 40,000 and marched to the Parliament, demanding the scrapping of the Electricity Act: 2003 and stop unbundling SEBs. This was consequent to the ‘hide and seek’ play carried out by the power ministry even after discussions held with the Prime Minister on 7, Sept’04 by the eightmen delegation of NCCOEEE and submitted a detailed memorandum. The power ministry under the secretary Mr. R.V. Shahi, is pressurizing the reluctant state governments to unbundle the SEBs and privatise it, insisting that unless they do it they will be denied of funds to accelerated Power Development and Reform programme. The power ministry is discarding the common minimum programme which include the review of the Electricity Act: 2003, and reported to have said publicly that the review is completed and was to the extent, the extension of the mandatory date of unbundling SEBs to 9th June’05. They prepared and published the tariff policy without proper discussion with the state governments and obtaining mandatory advice from the central electricity regulatory commission which are statutory obligations. It is to be presumed that the ministry is hurry to safeguard the interests of the capitalists like ambanies and tatas as is being done in U.P.

The Electricity employees March after reaching near Parliament assembled and conducted a meeting over three hours in which AIFEE, President A.B. Bardhan chaired the meeting. Com. E. Balanandan, President EEFI was the chief speaker besides those who spoke were Er. Shailendra Dubey, Secretary General AIPEF, Er. H.N. Mishra, Secretary General, AIPDEF, Girish Pandey, HMKP, Er. Chidambaram, Com. Chakradar P. Singh, Sri. Akhtar Hussain, General; Secretary, BMS, Vijay Sharma, Surender Singh, K. Ashoka Rao etc. In nutshell the speeches focused on the experience of one and a half decade of implementation of neoliberal policies in power sector and its legal frame work – the Electricity Act:2003. The speakers unequivocally pointed out that the new Power policy badly effects the availability, accessibility and affordability (because of high tariff hike) of electricity to majority of Indian people except a few who can resort to luxuries. It takes away the rights of the state government. The responsibility of rural electrification has been given a go by in the Act itself. Electricity being a basic infrastructure facility, this state of affair is affecting the overall development of the country in a big way. The Act also provides for total privatisation of the power sector and subsequent shift to the market driven pricing of power, which again is suicidal to vast majority of people. It will have adverse impact on our total development. Therefore the demand to scrap electricity Act 2003 and the action for the same is to be taken by the government of India within two months failing which the total electricity employees including engineers will go for a nationwide agitation including strike.

Com. B.S. Meel, General Secretary, EEFI placed the resolution before the audience of 10th December March which was unanimously adopted.

The resolution calls upon the electricity employees and engineers all over the country to prepare for a strike in case the Government of India is not taking positive steps in this regard within two months, the date for triggering of strike will be declared when the NCCOEEE meets shortly

The Government of India’s Power Ministry immediately after parliament march invited NCCOEEE delegation for talks which were held on 21st December’04. Both sides exchanged the views on power reforms.

The power ministry after two hours discussions conceded that the unbundled state utilities will make presentation before the NCCOEEE representatives and power ministry, i.e the experience of power reforms in last decade will be assessed jointly and further discussions will be continued. The NCCOEEE delegation included Coms.A.B. Bardhan, E. Balanandan, Shailendra Dubey,Ashoka Rao, Akhtar Hussian and B.S. Meel. The Power Ministry delegation composed of Power Minister, P.M. Sayeed, R.V. Shahi, Ajay Shankar and others.


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