NDPI opposes privatization of power sector

Jammu, 19-Aug-2020

National Democratic Party Indian (NDPI) J&K UT President Rajesh Gupta on Wednesday while taking strong exception against the move of the Government with regard to the privatization of power sector in Jammu and Kashmir. He said that the J&K Power Development Department is being reconstituted into four State Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). �Such move of the Government not only will allow the private sector to intervene in the department�s functioning but also put the jobs of PDD employees at stake,� he said, NDPI strongly oppose such move and to ensure that employees� interests were kept on mind before taking any decision to unbundle the department. Gupta alleged that the government was not clarifying about the future of the employees after the PDD would be bifurcated between Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. It is estimated that about 31,000 employees will be affected by the decision of the state government to reorganize the PDD.
NDPI Chief appealed to the Prime Minister, Minister of State for Power Raj Kumar Singh and Manoj Sinha Lt. Governor Jammu and Kashmir and the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman to drop the idea of privatization and give greater administrative autonomy to corporations, employees and empower them in order to create a healthy power distribution sector. The NDPI President strongly opposed the approach of Government ventilated through the proposed �draconian anti-people electricity legislation with clear objective of snatching away right of access to electricity from poor section of Indian people and peasants�.
NDPI strongly resented the announcements made by the Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman and developments thereafter on the issue of privatisation of distribution sector of Power Development Departments starting with Union Territories. This move will be detrimental to the service rights of the 31000 Government employees including the daily-wager and need based workers who have been awaiting regularization, since more than 20 years.
Rajesh Gupta asserted that after privatization of PDD, the power bills would be hiked up to three to four times and it�s not possible for the people of Jammu region to pay such hefty bills in this COVID 19 period. He asked the Government to immediately roll back such decision failing which the NDPI has no option to come on roads. � The Bill is �anti-farmer� and �anti-domestic consumer�, Gupta added.
The Central Government having failed to arrive at consensus on the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill 2020 has unilaterally now decided to thrust upon the Union Territories the privatization plan as it feels that the absence of any elected legislature is an opportunity to muzzle the rights of the common people and employees in particular. The public assets are being conceived to be given on a platter to the private profit centric organizations in UT of Jammu and Kashmir. The reforms in infrastructure currently in progress have the potential to reduce transmission and distribution losses.
He asked the Government to immediately shelve this corporatization as this is against the interests of employees, daily wagers, need based employees who are rendering their services for the last more than 20 years to the department. While extending full support to the PDD employees, asked government to beware from taking any steps which leads to turmoil in the Union Territory.