Power department employees and Engineers warns of agitation
SUNDAY, 22 APRIL 2012 21:33
PIONEER NEWS SERVICE| LUCKNOW HITS: 35

inShare

Protesting against state government's decision of handing over the power supply system in six cities including Lucknow in to private hands, the power department employees and engineers warned of agitation on Sunday.

The power employee unions after a meeting in state capital demanded chief minister to intervene in to situation as the clash in power corporations could be averted.

In wake of the statement given by commissioner (Infrastructure), AK Gupta on Saturday, Vidyut Karmchari Samyukt Sangharash Samiti (VKSSS) has called a meeting of all affiliated unions on April 25 to chalk out the agitation plan. The commissioner (Infrastructure) on Saturday had said the decision regarding giving power supply of six cities including Lucknow, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Robertsganj and two others in to private hands has been taken by government.

Reacting sharply to government move, Sanghrash Samiti leaders Shailendra Dubey, Girish Pandey, Omprakash Pandey said, the power employees and engineers were incensed over the decision. If Akhilesh government, despite seeing ill effects of privatisation in Agra city by previous government sticked to its plan it have to face protest from employees.

The privatisation of power distribution in Agra was giving Rs 600 crore loss to power corporation annually and office bearers of ruling Samajwadi party along with consumers of Agra were still fighting against it, the Sangharash Samiti leaders said.

Demanding stern action against power corporation management which had proposed privatisation in Agra with aim to check the line losses, the employee leaders said, as per power corporation's own report the line losses in Agra have increased to 49 percent that were only 38 percent prior to privatisation.

The power corporation management was favouring private company, Torrent Power in Agra by supplying energy at the rate of Rs 1.80 per unit while the corporation itself was purchasing energy at rate of over Rs 5 per unit from private companies. This favour was giving over Rs 600 crore loss to power corporation annually, the employee leaders said.