With the indefinite strike called by employees of the Electricity Department against power privatisation entering its third day on Wednesday, the Opposition leader R. Siva came out strongly against the territorial administration for maintaining silence on the issue.
“The Lieutenant Governor has made a statement on the issue. The L-G has stated that the government will take a decision only on the interest of public and employees of the department. But people wanted an open statement from the Chief Minister or Minister for Electricity,” the DMK convenor and Opposition leader said in a statement.
The government should make it public whether the administration had given its consent to the Centre to privatise the department, he added. Stating that a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the Centre could only express views of the Union Government, Mr. Siva said people of the Union Territory expected the Chief Minister or the Minister concerned, to issue a statement on the privatisation of the department.
The employees and public are concerned about the move to privatise the power distribution. While the employees are apprehensive about continuing their service benefits, people are concerned about the impact of privatisation on their monthly power tariff.
“People are expecting answers from the elected government. The Chief Minister or the Electricity Minister should make a public statement on the issue,” he said.
The employees said they would continue the protest until the government addresses their concerns, without causing any power disruption to the public.
