This Eastern & North Eastern States, Regional convention of electricity employees and engineers assembled on 23rd July, 2015 at Rajya Youth Centre, Moulali, Kolkata to lodge protest against Government of India action plan to curb the right to electricity of people of India, univocally condemn the aims and objects of the proposed amendment of the Electricity Act, 2003 through Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014, which has been raised out of follow of Global Economic Policy.

ALL NCCOEEE constituents and AIFWU & A in Eastern and North Eastern states (West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Monipur, Arunachalpradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura) note with grave concern that 30 crores of people of India are still beyond the access to electricity. Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 initiated in the parliament on 19th December, 2014 with the purpose of further splitting of electricity distribution sector into carriage and content to enable profit mongers who have no contribution towards nationwide expansion & development of electricity made at the cost of public exchequers, to enter into supply business of urban and revenue potential area without any investment. The proposed bill if enacted will open the sector for cherry picking by the suppliers pressing the poor and low end customer and the cultivators also to pay more for consumption of electricity because the cross subsidy system which is in vogue for the cultivators and low end consumers will be abolished. This convention put its fervent appeal to government of India to be restrained from the proposed game plan.

This convention observed that Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy, while considering the Bill has not taken into consideration the valid logical and technical points raised by the organisations of electricity workers and engineers. Government of India is going ahead with enactment of Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 with the support of well off of commerce and business community, setting aside interest of farmers, urban and rural small entrepreneurs as well low end domestic electricity consumers.

People of India cannot forget the commitments given through Electricity Policy, 2005 were (A) Every household will be connected with electricity within year 2012 (B) Efficiency of the electricity companies will be increased through competition. Quality service and uninterrupted power supply to the consumers will be ensured and tariff will be reduced etc.

All the promises have been proved as fake.

Still 30 crores of poeple have not access to Electreicity. Load shedding in the whole country is continued @8% to 10% at peek hours demand.

SEBs were unbundled on the plea that SEBs have failed to generate capital and accumulated loss were of Rs. 26000 crores even after lapse of almost 50 years of running. Despite increase in electricity tafiff for several times and tariff have been double in comparison to 2003, now within 10 years only the accumulated losses of Distribution companies (both government and private) have been Rs. 2.5 lac crores and debt to the tune of Rs. 3 lac crores.

Government of India is frenetically depending upon private players for development of the power sector for a long since. Electricity Act, 2003 enacted and implemented for that purpose. Result of which has become totally negative. Government has also realised the same. Hence, repeated request for reviewing the status after a decade had been disdainfully disregarded. Dichotomy of the government is very clear when we note that section 14 of the Bill proposes “Provided also that at least one of the supply licensees shall be a government controlled company” It is evident that cream will be swallowed by the privates and burden will bave to be shouldered by the government company, who would not enjoy financial support of the government telling upon wrost quality of service for the poor people.

DVC a profitable central sector undertaking constituted for multi purpose services is running in loss for central government policy. Conspiracy is going on to sell or to shutdown the generating stations. The Electricity (Amendment) Bill if enacted DVC may go to private hands. Consumers & employees of DVC will face severe crisis.

Recruitments of contractor workers in every electricity utility are continued in more wider scale and numbers of permanent employees are reducing similarly. Contractor workers are denied same wage for same job, medical facility, pension, workmens compensation etc. etc. It is found from World Bank report that privatisation in electricity industry has not been fruitful in many developed countries. World Bank report also remarks that Kerala SEB, a government undertaking is the most successful utility in India.

This convention extpressed deep anxiety over future uncertainty due to lopsided power policy of the government. Convention firmly demands that any amendment of electricity Act should be effected to only after thorough review of the power industry after a decade of implementation of Electricity Act, 2003 by an independent and expert panel. Convention further demands:–

1) Stop enactment of Anti people Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2014 with the motive of curbing the right to electricity for all.

2) Ensure right to electricity as human right with uninterrupted supply of electricity for all at affordable cost.

3) Stop transfer of Natural Energy Resources to the private hands. Cancel all PPAs, MOUs, for allocation of Natural Energy Resources to private hands.

4) Ensure electricity connection to every household with immediate effect.

5) Electricity sector must be maintained under both central and state list of constitution and ensure increase of power to state in respect of Electricity Act.

6) Stop engagement of contractor in electricity industry and ensure recruitment of permanent workers against permanent vacancies.

(Kanchan Mukherjee) Convenor of Prepatory Committee
For the convention of NCCOEEE of
Eastern and North Eastern Regional States
INEWF * EEFI * AIFEE AIPEE * AIFOPDE * AIPF * AIFWU & A
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