AIPEF warns of strike against Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021

AIPEF has threatened a lightning strike against any unilateral move to rush through the Bill in Parliament. AIPEF national executive meeting has been called on February 27 at Mumbai which will decide the future agitational course of action.

The All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF), Chairman Shailendra Dubey expressed concern over unavailability of the Electricity Bill in Power Ministry website. He has been demanding access to the Electricity Bill (Amendment) 2021, on their public domain. He also said that the Bill is included in the list of Bills to be places in the current session of Parliament. Now the Union Power Minister is preparing to hold a video conference on February 17^th with the state power secretaries and CMDs of the DISCOMs to discuss the proposed amendments in Electricity Act 2003.

AIPEF has threatened a strike against any unilateral move to rush through the bill in parliament. A national executive meeting has been called on 27^th February at Mumbai by AIPEF. It will decide the future agitational course of action. Dubey said that all power engineers across the country along with 1.5 million employees will go on a nationwide strike. AIPEF in its letter to the Prime Minister has mentioned that this is a short cut and rushed through amendments without due consideration or deliberation and is not acceptable.

There have been reports that the Power Ministry has circulated Electricity (Amendment) Bill proposing amendments to the Electricity Act 2003. The proposed bill entails de-licensing of the distribution business.

th February was only sent to Principal Secretaries of states and CMDs of state power corporations to file comments on in 14 days and before the said date; Power Minister R.K Singh is going to hold a video conference on February 17^th was the state and state CMDs.

Shailendra Dubey said that the reported matters in the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 are un-authenticated and deserve to be discarded, particularly as they are tantamount to introducing a drastic policy of separating carriage and content which was earlier rejected by as many as 20 states. The outcome on the suggestions stays undisclosed and a new draft Bill 2021 has been leaked to the selected few. The present approach of the ministry of power is non-transparent and secretive, and seems that the government is trying to hide secret critical facts.

“The government has forgotten that consumers, employees and workers are the most important stakeholders that Ministry of Power is ignoring by keeping the amendment Bill secret. This wrong approach will recoil on MOP and surely defeat the entire process. We again request intervention of PM of India to restore transparency and order that amendments be put on MOP website with time of minimum 3 months to submit comments,” AIPEF said.