Jammu, 28 May 2020

All J&K Power Employees Coordination Committee today appealed all the employees of power sector in J&K to support the protest scheduled for June 1 and observe the day as National Protest Day.
Addressing a press gathering, here today, the employees of the power sector said that they have decided to observe `black day’ on June 1, as nationwide protest against the Central Government ‘s move to go for privatization of the DISCOMS.
They added that the coordination committee strongly resents the finance ministry’s announcement on the move to privatise the distribution sector of the power development department.
They also said that while the whole country is integrally combating menace of Corona virus under lock down, on April 17, MoP notified the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeking public comments within 3 weeks, with a motive to transfer 70 years old Power system to the private hands for vested interests. The Electricity Bill, 2000 when brought forward by the Central Government, which primarily focused on unbundling of State’s Electricity Departments, number of alluring words such as cheaper power for all through promotion of competition and efficiency were floated. The Bill was enacted in 2003 in the form of Electricity Act 2003, which despite in force for last more than 15 years, no cheaper power supply was witnessed.
New Delhi witnessed privatization on the first of its instance had also witnessed tariff hike at-least 7 times in last 12 years. Similarly, in other parts of India wherever privatization is in place has failed miserably to provide cheaper power to the consumers. Besides several states had opposed this move of Central Government of privatization, the Government decided to privatize the DISCOM’s of UT’s in the first instance. UT of J&K which is special of its kind in terms of its large rural & backward demography, huge consumer base and its distribution network and the most peculiar being J&K is the only place which had just witnessed the unbundling of electrical department, the newly formed Corporations have not yet settled down in their working.