The power sector in Kerala witnessed Statewide protests on Monday against the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022.
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Employees in the sector boycotted work and participated in dharnas in over 1,000 centres alleging that “the pro-corporate Bill” gives free rein to private players in power distribution. More than 25,000 power sector workers and officers participated in the protests organised under the aegis of the Kerala chapter of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE), a broad platform of trade unions in the power sector.
Senior leaders, including MP and CITU State general secretary Elamaram Kareem, CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran and INTUC R. Chandrasekharan, addressed the protest meetings.
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The Bill, which was presented in Parliament on Monday, was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy due to the strong objections raised by the Opposition parties. This pointed to the success of the nationwide protests, the NCCOEEE said.
The Bill allows private players to reap profits without any capital investment. It permits multiple players in power distribution who can make use of the existing infrastructure of the State-run KSEB. It has far-reaching consequences such as denial of subsidies to farmers, a situation which would ultimately lead to rise in the prices of essential commodities and a food crisis, the committee said.
CITU State secretary K. S. Sunil Kumar inaugurated the protests outside the Vydyuthi Bhavan, the headquarters of the KSEB.
KSEB Workers' Federation State vice president Shaji Kumar presided.