Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
A mass convention against the privatisation of Chandigarh UT power department on has been planned on 22nd November under the banner of National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees & Engineers (NCCOEEE).
Shri Shailendra Dubey, Chairman, All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) and its Secretary General Shri Rathnakar Rao will be amongst the participants from the adjoining Northern states. Power engineers of neighbouring states will also participate in the convention in large numbers. .
Shri Dubey said that AIPEF stands with Chandigarh power men in their fight against privatisation. In a similar situation the privatisation process of the electricity department in Puducherry was stopped after the intervention of AIPEF. The section 133(2) of Electricity Act provided safeguard to employees for not transferring employees on less favourable service conditions under any transfer scheme.
Shri Rathnakar Rao said that the administration was selling 100% stake of the government in the absence of such a provision under Section 131 of the Electricity Act, 2003. Moreover, the department was earning profits for the past three years and all technical parameters are good, still it was being privatised
The administration is playing with the future of the employees by privatising the electricity department. Power sector engineers and employees will not allow the service conditions of electricity employees of Chandigarh UT to be changed under the guise of privatization.