A Dharna on 07.02.2005 at parade Ground Sector-17, Chandigarh was held at 11.00 AM by the electricity Employees and engineers from the Northern Region against the Punjab Government’s intention to unbundle the PSEB. Powermen participated from Delhi, Rajasthan, U.P, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in big numbers. The Northern Regional powermen over 20,000 in numbers moved in procession towards State Assembly and registered the protest against Punjab governments move to split SEB. Almost all the unions and engineers associations from northern states participated in this dharna showing solidarity with the PSEB employees and making a writing on the wall that attack on PSEB employees will be treated as an attack on every powermen in Northern Region. Com. B.S. Meel, who represented NCCOEEE said that our fight is for a policy change. We want a policy change in power sector for which all the electricity employees/unions are required to be involved in the struggle. Our fight is a serious fight. What is the tool with which we are going to fight ? The working class unity not only electricity employees but class as a whole . It should be done as soon as possible. Objective conditions, are ripe, a scope for us to mobilize as class. We are having local outlook and what is lacking and needed is an all India outlook and approach.

Every Indian family irrespective of its income has a right for access to electricity as the path of development routes through electricity. Today only 56% rural households are electrified. A poor man cannot be liberated from backwardness and poverty cannot be attacked without access to electricity. The power rates with the electricity Act:2003 will be market driven and will raised abnormally high, which will make impossible for those having electricity access to continue. Therefore we want a policy change.