All India Power Engineers Federation Urges Central Government to Hold Consultations before Passing Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022
In a recent meeting held in Bengaluru, the Federal Executive of the All India Power Engineers Federation expressed its concerns over the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 and appealed to the Central Government not to rush its passage in Parliament without extensive consultation with power engineers, employees, and electricity consumers. The Federation emphasized the need for detailed discussions with the major stakeholders in the electricity sector before finalizing the new electricity law.
The Federation further highlighted that the Standing Committee on Electricity Affairs of the Parliament has not yet provided an opportunity for power engineers, employees, and consumers to participate in deliberations. Therefore, the resolution passed by the Federation requested the Standing Committee to conduct comprehensive discussions with these stakeholders before presenting its report.
In a strong warning to the Central Government, the All India Power Engineers Federation resolved that if the anti-people Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 is unilaterally passed in Parliament, one lakh power engineers and workers across the country will resort to direct action simultaneously, holding the Central Government responsible for the consequences.
Representatives from various states, including Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu Kashmir, Delhi, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Puducherry, and Jharkhand, participated in the Federation’s Federal Executive Meeting.
Speaking on the matter, Shailendra Dubey, Chairman, along with P Rathnakar Rao, Secretary General, and K Ashok Rao, Patron of AIPEF, highlighted the regressive effects the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 would have on electricity employees and consumers. They criticized the Central Government for not fulfilling its promise of engaging in detailed discussions with farmers and other stakeholders before introducing the bill.
The Federation expressed concern over the provision in the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 that allows multiple distribution companies to operate in the same area, with private companies utilizing the public sector network for electricity supply. Another provision stated that only government companies would be obligated to provide universal power supply, while private companies could solely focus on supplying electricity to profitable industrial and commercial consumers. This would result in financial insolvency for government companies, as they would be responsible for maintaining and strengthening the network while private companies would profit from limited wheeling charges.
The bill also proposes the abolition of subsidies and cross subsidies, thereby increasing the cost of electricity for all categories of consumers. For instance, farmers using a 7.5-horsepower pumping set for only six hours would face monthly bills ranging from Rs 10,000 to 12,000. Similarly, domestic consumers would also experience significant cost increases. The Federation believes that the bill does not serve the best interests of the general public or the employees.
