Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
At the call of National Coordination Committee of electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), lakhs of employees and engineers of power sector all across the country held lunch hour demonstrations at power utility head offices, thermal plants and other workplaces places on 29 May 2025 against privatisation of two Discoms by the UP government and in solidarity with power employees and engineers of UP.
The protest demonstrations were held in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Telangana, Hyderabad, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab , all districts of Uttar Pradesh and other states across the country.
Shri Shailendra Dubey, Convenor of Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti of U P and Chairman of All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) said at Lucknow that there is no need to privatise the UPpower sector. UPPCL is fudging the figures to show more losses to favour and handover the power sector to private parties. The defaulting amount of UP government departments is Rs.14,400 crores. Last year due to wrong power purchase agreements by UPPCL, the Rs.6,761 crores were paid without purchasing any electricity. Moreover, 85% of electricity supplied to consumers is the power purchase cost and only 15% are operation and maintenance charges.
Shri Padamjit Singh, Chief Patron AIPEF said that the UPPCL has implemented a draconian order aimed at suppressing the ongoing struggle in UP. UPPCL is not following any rule and law even when the tender notice for privatisation has not been issued.
Various leaders of power sector across the country have issued a stern warning that any harassment of electricity workers in Uttar Pradesh will not be silently tolerated. They stated that all 27 lakh electricity workers in the country will be forced to take to the streets and agitate, holding the Uttar Pradesh Government solely responsible for any resulting disruption.
