The North News
Chandigarh, July 9
Power sector employees across India observed a one-day token strike and work boycott on Wednesday in protest against the central and state governments’ privatisation policies. The strike, called by the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), saw participation in states including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh.
The protest is primarily aimed at opposing the proposed privatisation of two electricity distribution companies—Purvanchal and Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam—in Uttar Pradesh. Demonstrations were held in all 75 districts of the state, with over one lakh employees, including engineers and contract workers, taking part, according to Shailendra Dubey, Chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF).
In Punjab, a joint protest was held in Patiala involving members of the PSEB Engineers’ Association, JE Council, and head office employees. Padamjit Singh, Chief Patron of AIPEF, said the current privatisation push violates the Electricity Act 2003, and warned against the practice of “parallel licensing,” which he called a direct sale of public assets to corporations.
Similar protests were held in other parts of the country. In Haryana, demonstrations took place in cities including Hisar, Panchkula, Yamunanagar, and Rewari. “Employees are united against the government’s privatisation drive,” said Baljit Beniwal, General Secretary of the Haryana Power Engineers Association.
Solidarity rallies were also organised in Jammu, Srinagar, and Kangra in Himachal Pradesh. In Maharashtra, protests began at midnight, with employees at Nashik thermal plant participating. Sanjay Thakur of the Subordinate Engineers Association condemned the entry of corporate entities into power distribution through parallel licensing.
V K Gupta, media advisor to AIPEF, said that employees in several states, including Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, also joined the protest. He accused governments of gradually handing over public assets to private firms, adding that electricity employees are “on the warpath” to safeguard the power sector.
