Haryana Power Utilities employees to intensify agitation against franchisee system

Posted On: 28-Dec-2009 03:36:00 By: Vinod Kumar Gupta Font Size:
Haryana Power Utilities employees to intensify agitation against franchisee system

Haryana Power Engineers and Workers Joint Action Committee have decided to intensify their state-wide agitation against state government alleging that the franchise scheme for distribution system of Panipat and Gurgaon is being done to benefit private hands.

The decision was taken today in a state level convention of Engineers and workers, held at Panipat. R S Dahiya President of the convention said that protest demonstrations against this decision of state govt. will be held at all operation circles headquarters from January 8 to March 25. In case Government tries for opening the tenders of franchisee scheme, work would be brought to halt on the same day.

The convention was attended by thousands of members of constituent organisations of the Joint Action Committee viz Haryana Power Engineers Association, HSEB Workers’ Union & All Haryana Power Corporation Workers’ Union. The convention was conducted by Subhash Lamba, member of the committee.

During the convention, indifferent attitude of state govt. towards rectification of pay anomalies, regular recruitment on vacant posts, regularisation of casual labor engaged on DC rates with assuring minimum wages of Rs.10, 000 for social security, restoration of ex-gratia scheme was condemned strongly.

R S Dahiya said that commercial as well as line Losses in Discoms are increasing due to privatising-outsourcing-contracting policies of state govt. They said that despite of 52% shortage of staff,engineers and workers of power utilities have worked for almost 12 to 14 hours per day for reducing the line losses to a considerable extent. He said if vacant posts are filled, privatising-outsourcing-contracting policies are dumped and suggestions of thecommittee are implemented, the AT&C losses can be reduced considerably and better services can be provided to the consumers in the state.

SS Yadav disclosed that the group of engineers which was deputed in a haste to Bhiwandi (Maharashtra), did not interact with consumers and workers due to shortage of time and whatever documents were provided to them by theengineers of Toronto Co., were supplied to the Nigam’s management and the management put the same to the government for getting the franchisee scheme declared in turn. The group never submitted any report in favor of franchisee. Padamjit Singh Chairman All India Power Engineers Federation said that despite the state Governments decision about giving the franchisee of distribution system of Agra and Kanpur, the work has not been awarded. He said that the decision of franchisee is more dangerous than privatisation because the rates, on which tenders would be finalised, would be quite different from the rates approved by the regulatory commission. Moreover, thefranchisee will further aggravate the matter by subletting the job to petty contractors.

Hardip Sangwan and Devender Hooda added that the govt. is stating that only two cities are being franchised on pilot basis and other districts would be added if and only if the pilot is successful. However, it is not being made clear when all the districts would be franchised where the Nigam’s staff would be placed and posted. The leaders made it very clear that thecommittee is ready for discussions in this matter at any level as well as assures its full cooperation but the govt. has not invited any discussions in this issue and the intentions are not very clear.

Ajad Singh Malik, President Sarv Karamchari Sangh and Om Prakash Pahalwan, President Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh have supported the agitation and demands of thecommittee and assured their full cooperation. The convention was also addressed by Daljit Singh, S K Garg. K K Malik, Kanwar Singh Yadav, Ved Prakash, Jai Singh, Devi Singh Pawar, Naresh Kumar & Satbir Sharma.