People's Democracy

  ‘Stop Restructuring Of SEBs’

Delegation Demands From Power Minister

A delegation of trade union leaders in the power sector and experts met the union power minister P M Sayeed on May 2 and demanded immediate halt to the unbundling of state electricity boards (SEBs) till the promised review of Electricity Act 2003 is done. They also demanded provision of cross subsidy and elimination of discrimination between urban and rural areas in the Electricity Act 2003.

The delegation consisted of A B Bardhan, Himanshu (All India Federation of Electricity Employees), B S Meel, Shyamal Chakravorty and P N Choudhury (Electricity Employees Federation of India), Shailendra Dubey, M S Bajwa (All India Power Diploma Engineers Federation) Sarvesh Diwedi, Akhtar Hussain (Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyut Mazdoor Sangh), and K Ashok Rao (National Working Group on Power sector).

The subject matter of the meeting was Electricity Act 2003 in the backdrop of the pending notice of two day proposed strike of powermen on May 31 and June 1, 2005. The delegation presented to the minister that on some sections of the Act they had strong concerns and therefore till the review on the memorandum submitted by National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers to the prime minister is completed their above mentioned demands must be implemented.

The delegation emphasised that if the unbundling and restructuring of SEBs is not halted immediately then the review will be meaningless. The minister said he would require time to study the presentation made by delegation and that another meeting can take place on May 17 to discuss these issues.

Meanwhile, preparations for the 48-hour nationwide strike by electricity employees commencing with effect from 08.00 hours of May 31, 2005 are being vigorously made to attract the attention of the people of the country regarding the adverse impact of the Electricity Act 2003, particularly by way of tariff hike and power shortage hurting the development of the nation.

(INN)