Report by Kamgar Ekta committee (KEC) correspondent
A Bijli Panchayat was held in Prayagraj on 5 January 2025 to oppose privatisation of electricity. Thousands of electricity employees, engineers and consumers participated. People from the United Kisan Morcha and All India Kisan Sabha came in large numbers to the Bijli Panchayat.
The Bijli Panchayat was addressed by Shailendra Dubey, Jitendra Singh Gurjar, Mahendra Rai, PK Dixit, Suhail Abid, Ekadashi Yadav of the United Kisan Morcha and was supported by the officials of AITUC, INTUC, CITU, AICCTU and other All India Trade Unions.
The Panchayat made an appeal to the Chief Minister to withdraw the Power Corporation’s proposal of privatization of electricity in the interest of common consumers and farmers.
Shailendra Dubey, Chairman, All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) and convener Vidyut Karmchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti said that the Corporation management is not following the order of the High Court’s decision to solve the problems, following the order given by the Court on 5 November.
He said that electricity is a service for a government sector company whereas it is a business for private houses. The government electricity companies of UP are providing electricity to farmers and common domestic consumers by incurring losses. On the other hand, private electricity companies work for profit.
The Sangharsh Samiti said that the Power Corporation management has not held any talks with the Sangharsh Samiti till date despite repeated requests on the problems caused by privatization. The Power Corporation management is in such a hurry for privatization that it does not even care about the order of the High Court.
It said that the experiment of privatization has completely failed in Orissa, Aurangabad, Nagpur, Jalgaon, Samastipur, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Ujjain, Sagar, Gwalior, Agra and Greater Noida. Therefore, implementing this failed experiment of privatization in the country’s largest state Uttar Pradesh will not be in the interest of consumers and employees. Farmers get free electricity in the government sector. As soon as privatization happens, the rate will increase abnormally.
Jitendra Singh Gurjar said that there is a conspiracy to sell the power assets worth lakhs and crores of rupees for a pittance. Privatization of electricity will break the back of farmers and common consumers. Without evaluating the assets worth lakhs and crores of rupees of the power corporations, a document has been prepared to sell them at a reserve price of Rs. 1500-1600 crores, which is not in the interest of the state in any way.
