On behalf of Maharashtra Rajya Veej Karmachari, Adhikari, Abhiyanta Sangharsh Samiti (Maharashtra State Electricity Workers, Engineers and Officers Sangharsh Samiti), the following submission was given to people’s representatives all over Maharashtra on 14 December 2022. They were requested to tell Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission not to give parallel electricity distribution licence in the areas covered by Bhandup Circle of Mahavitaran Company in Thane and Raigad districts.
Copy of the submission given to people’s representatives
(English translation of Submission in Marathi)
Maharashtra Rajya Veej Karmachari, Adhikari, Abhiyanta Sangharsh Samiti
To,
Hon. Minister, Hon. MP, Hon. MLA, Hon. Zilla Parishad President and Members, Hon. Panchayat Samiti Chairman and member, Hon. Mayor and member of Municipal Corporation, Hon. Municipal Council President and Members, Hon. Nagar Panchayat President and Members, Hon. Grampanchayat Sarpanch and members, Electricity Consumer Association, Farmer’s Unions, Leaders of various sectors, Industrial Electricity Customer Unions, Small Industrial Power Consumers, Water Supply Power Consumer Organization, Social Organizations
Subject: Regarding opposition to the parallel license to Adani electrical company for the Thane and Navi Mumbai region in Maharashtra state that is under the Mahavitaran Company
Sir,
As you are aware, the work of supplying electricity to the electricity consumers including farmers in Maharashtra has been performed for many years by the electricity workers, engineers and officers of Mahavitaran Company. From the establishment of Maharashtra state the task of providing electricity to very difficult regions, such as valleys, etc. has been performed by electricity workers with the help of the administration. From time to time, the state government has spent crores of rupees and erected thousands of generators, poles and hundreds of sub-centres to supply electricity to lakhs of consumers. That is why people in Maharashtra are enjoying 24-hours uninterrupted power supply.
Whenever there are natural calamities, whether floods, Killari earthquake, various cyclones, the recent corona pandemic, we have treated “Consumer as God” and supplied power without worrying about our lives and will continue to do so. That is why the electricity industry in Maharashtra has acquired fame in Asia.
We very humbly bring to your notice that recently Adani electric company has applied for parallel license to the Maharashtra State Electricity Regulatory Commission for Thane, Navi Mumbai, Uran, Panvel, Taloja that are extremely important from the point of view of revenue. This is the first experiment of its kind in the country. If such a license is granted, it will adversely affect the electricity industry in the state. Today, electricity consumers especially for farm pump sets, those below the poverty line, public lighting are given special rates which are less than the rate of purchase of electricity. For that, high tension consumers, commercial and industrial consumers are given electricity at higher rates to provide cross-subsidy. That is why Mahavitaran company gets annual revenue of 12,000 crore from the above-mentioned consumers. From that, thousands of crores are given as subsidy. That is why if the above consumers go from Mahavitaran Company to private capitalists then the rest of the electricity consumers will face such high rates that the people of Maharashtra will not be able to use electricity…! Such conditions can be created.
If a part of the revenue obtained by Mahavitaran Company goes in this manner to private industry, then the common people of Maharashtra may be adversely affected.
Earlier, the experiment of privatisation of Mahavitaran has been done in Maharashtra state in place like Nagpur, Jalgaon, Bhiwandi, Aurangabad, Malegaon, Diva and Mumbra. However, all these experiments were meaningless and failed. We are bringing this to your notice as well. At the same time, using the network of Mahapaareshan in various regions of Maharashtra, private capitalists are putting private power lines. Also, the government is trying to privatise the hydroelectric projects owned by Mahanirmiti Company. The common people of Maharashtra may suffer due to all this. We request you to take note of this as people’s representatives.
Considering all this, that the future of the consumers of electricity industry is going to be dark, all the organisations working in this industry have come together and decided to launch a campaign to oppose all the above-mentioned. A notice to this effect has been given to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra. In order to save people’s rights over the electricity industry, you should, as people’s representatives, exhibit your opposition to the government and save the electricity industry in Maharashtra. This is the humble appeal of workers, officers and engineers working in the electricity industry of Maharashtra.
Yours sincerely,
Maharashtra Rajya Veej Karmachari Adhikari Abhiyanta Sangharsh Samiti