by Com. Krushna Bhoyar, General Secretary, Maharashtra State Electricity workers federation on behalf of Maharashtra Veej Karmachari Adhikari Abhiyanta Sangharsh Samiti
Process of privatization of electricity industry in the country has started from Maharashtra through Adani
Mulund, Bhandup, Thane Vashi, Nerul, Belapur, Panvel, Uran and Taloja areas in Navi Mumbai and Thane areas are the highest revenue earners for the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd. (MSEDCL, also known as Mahavitaran) and in these areas industrial and commercial customers are on a large scale. Distribution loss in these areas is low and the electricity theft rate is also negligible. The electricity consumers pay on time for the electricity that is supplied to them by the MSEDCL. This is such a profitable area.
The Adani Electrical Company has sought a parallel electricity distribution license for this area from the Maharashtra State Electricity Regulatory Commission. If this license is granted by the Electricity Regulatory Commission to Adani Company under the pressure of the State Government after holding a public hearing, it will be the first example in the country where a parallel power distribution license has been granted to private capitalists in the area of a government-owned distribution company.
Since there are no agricultural consumers in this area, private entrepreneurs will not be obliged to give cross subsidy initially, so they may lower electricity rates initially. However, after full control of electricity distribution, the electricity rates in Maharashtra will be increased massively and cross subsidies to electricity consumers will be completely stopped.
A public owned enterprise is an enterprise set up with the money paid by the public in the form of taxes. This will be the first experiment in the country to sell this industry to private capitalists at a throw away price. The purpose of private capitalists is only to make profit. They do not come to provide services. Their purpose is not to fulfil social responsibility.
That is why we are making a humble appeal to the 16 crore people and 2 crore 88 lakh electricity consumers of Maharashtra. In order to save the public electricity industry owned by the people, all the trade unions in the electricity industry have come together and formed the Maharashtra Rajya Veej Karmachari, Abhiyanta, Adhikari Sangharsh Samiti (Maharashtra State Electricity Employees, Engineers. Officers Struggle Committee) and taken a stand against the privatization effort of Adani. The struggle launched by the electricity employees is not for any economic demands but only for the sake of saving the publicly owned electricity industry.
I humbly appeal to the people, people’s representatives and electricity consumers of Maharashtra to participate in this struggle. The Sangharsh Samiti is making the notice of the protest launched in public interest available to all on Facebook.
Your Colleague
Comrade Krishna Bhoyar
General Secretary
Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Federation