Abdication of responsibility of UPA Government- Pointer raised in Chennai seminar

July 2006 - December 2006 Index

Abdication of responsibility of UPA Government- Pointer raised in Chennai seminar

The seminar organised by the Central Organisation of Tamil Nadu electricity Employees on 9^th September 2006 at Chennai on the Topic “ Review of Electricity Act, 2003 for protecting Electricity Boards from unbundling and privatisation”, by the speeches delivered and the resolution passed, had been a national platform, which gave a wake-up call to the UPA Government at the Centre which is in slumbering mood unmindful of the seriousness of the situation and the disastrous consequences arising out of the abdication of responsibility of review of Electricity Act-2003 as promised in the common Minimum Programme.

The national press covering the proceeding of the seminar gave an invariable coverage next day with the caption “Don’t dismantle SEBs and they must be made professional entities “. The press further in the light of gigantic growth of Tamil Nadu Power Board with more than one crore and eighty lakhs consumers, made an awareness through the columns, the facts that the SEBs are subjected to constant political and and bureaucratic pressures and that the high quality of technical manpower and as such the existence of the SEBs in the present structure should be continued in public sector.

With the welcome address of T. Arivazhagan, General Secretary, Tamil Nadu Power engineers Organisation, the Seminar was presided over by S. Pancharatnam, President/COTEE. In hi9s presidential address, he praised the stand taken by the DMK Government in the disinvestment of shares in Neyveli lignite Corporation (NLC), realizing the situation if the whole generation of NLC is handed over to private hands. He requested the DMK state government, in the same stretch imagination and awareness to bring pressure to fulfill the commitment made in the CMP of UPA Government in which DMK is a powerful ally.

SS Subramanian, General secretary, COTEE moved the resolution to be adopted and he gave a full background of the past fifteen years during which how the erstwhile successive governments at the centre took steps harming the growth of electrical industry in the country and the manner by which they are encouraging the private and foreign players in the areas of electricity generation and distribution with the result they had played havoc and several companies deserted the country. Electricity as a marketable commodity with the only aim of profit in the name of competition is un-thinkable according to the experience gained through the world. The resolution urged the GOI to take urgent steps to fulfill the commitment made in the CMP without any loss of time.

Dr. M.R. Srinivasan, Former Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, while delivering the keynote address, stressed the need to consolidate the public sector which in any case, has played a pioneering role in building power sector to the present position and un-bundling and privatisation of SEBs would be the crimes and stressed the needs for reforming them into professional and commercial entities.

T.K. Rangarajan, CITU-Vice President, in his speech, debunked the claim of benefits of privatisation of electricity supply and quoted its failure worldwide including USA and Europe.

Arcot. N. Veeraswamy, Tamil Nadu State Minister for Electricity, addressed the Seminar and un-equivocally supported the resolution for review of electricity Act, 2003 and expressed support for the electricity employees and engineers’ resolve to oppose the un-bundling of the SEBs. The Minister declared to a standing that till the DMK is in power, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and himself being in the seat of power, they would not sign anything to degrade the functioning of the State Electricity Board, which is being run very efficiently and profitably.

K. Vijayan, Treasurer, COTEE proposed vote of thanks.


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