Power supply to all categories of consumers is likely to be affected in Telangana from zero hours on Monday, from the intervening midnight of Sunday-Monday, as generation, transmission and distribution activities are set to be impacted with the employees and engineers of the utilities going on a strike for a day as a measure of their strong opposition to the amendments planned by the Centre to the Electricity Act.
All employees unions forming part of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) and also other federations such as Telangana Electricity Employees Joint Action Committee (TEEJAC), TS Power Employees JAC (TSPEJAC) and All India Power Engineers Federation in the State have decided to go on a day’s strike from duties from zero hours on Monday with the Centre likely to introduce the Electricity (Amendment) Bill in Parliament during the day.
The power employees and engineers’ bodies have decided to boycott duties at all generating stations, corporate offices, circle and division offices by sporting black badges and stage protests. A protest is also being planned at Mint Compound. However, they have asked those manning the emergency duties such as managing generation, load dispatch and transmission and distribution activity till sub-station level.
They have also decided to hold a round-table meeting with political parties opposing the Bill in the afternoon and chalk out the future course of their agitation. They have also appealed to consumers to cooperate with them as they were protesting a Bill that was against the interests of farmers, domestic consumers of lower and middle income groups and employees of the public sector utilities only to benefit corporate companies.
On its part, the NCCOEEE has already called for a countrywide strike of public sector electricity employees and engineers on August 10 in protest against the Electricity Bill 2022.
When contacted, Chairman and Managing Director of TS Power Generation Corporation (TS-Genco) and Transmission Corporation of Telangana (TS-Transco) D. Prabhakar Rao said they have requested the employees and engineers on critical/emergency duties not to go on strike stating that it would affect the grid besides causing huge inconvenience to consumers. “We will try our best to ensure proper supply as much as possible,” he said adding that it would depend on the employees and engineers.
President of TSPEA and executive member of NCCOEEE P. Ratnakar Rao said they were also ready to launch an indefinite strike if the Centre goes ahead with the amendments to the Electricity Act, basically aimed at privatising the energy sector completely by incapacitating the public sector distribution companies. He stated that 12 States including Telangana have passed resolutions against the Bill in their Assemblies.
