Following news of a meeting between the Chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Commission, Chairman of the Power Corporation and Consultant of Grant Thornton with the Energy Minister, a call has been given for a decisive struggle against privatisation
Report of Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Parishad Abhiyanta Sangh
Today, during a brainstorming camp of power engineers in Agra against privatization, news was received that the Energy Minister has held a meeting with the Chairman of Electricity Regulatory Commission Arvind Kumar, Chairman of Power Corporation Ashish Goyal and Grant Thornton, the transaction consultant that was illegally appointed, to speed up the process of privatization. Engineers became angry and unanimously resolved that as soon as the tender for privatization is issued, a mass jail bharo movement will be launched, for which the entire responsibility will be of the government and the management.
In the brainstorming camp (“Chintan Manthan Shivir”) regarding privatization organized in Agra under the aegis of Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Parishad Abhiyanta Sangh, engineers unanimously rejected the option of privatization given by the Power Corporation. They resolved that the movement against privatization will be intensified and the struggle will continue until the decision of privatization is withdrawn.
The keynote speaker at the brainstorming camp, Shri Shailendra Dubey, Chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation, analyzed in detail the options offered by Power Corporation Chairman Dr. Ashish Goyal for employees after the privatization of the Purvanchal and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and rejected them. Analyzing the three options—joining a private company, returning to other corporations, and taking voluntary retirement—he stated that all three options would ruin the future of power workers; therefore, privatization is unacceptable under any circumstances.
Prashant Chaturvedi, Chairman of Eastern India Power Engineers Federation, spoke in detail about the struggle against franchising of electricity distribution in Ranchi and Jamshedpur in Jharkhand and said that privatisation is very dangerous; hence, we should prepare for the struggle with full force.
During the camp in Agra, when it was learnt that the Energy Minister had held a meeting with the Chairman of the Electricity Regulatory Commission Arvind Kumar, Power Corporation Chairman Ashish Goyal and Grant Thornton—the transaction consultant illegally appointed for the privatisation of Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam and Dakshinchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam—at the Sangam Field Hostel of the Jal Nigam, the engineers became angry.
Jitendra Singh Gurjar, General Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Parishad Abhiyanta Sangh, stated that the primary objective of the brainstorming camp is to train engineers for a decisive struggle against privatization. He added that five such camps are being organized at the discom level. He stated that if engineers come forward with determination, stopping private companies from entering the power sector in Uttar Pradesh will be a simple task. He stated that a decisive struggle will be waged against privatization.