AIPEF seeks Maharashtra Chief Minister intervention to avert strike

18-Feb-2010 Vinod Kumar Gupta
Mumbai: All India Power Engineers Federation has sought the intervention of Chief Minister Maharashtra to abolish the decision of appointment of distribution franchisee in the power distribution sector to avert strike by Subordinate Engineers Association (SEA) of MSEB. Subordinate Engineers Association of MSEB has served a strike notice for February 23 in protest against the state governments decision to introduce franchisee system inpower distribution and privatization of small Hydro Power Stations.

Shaliender Dubey Secretary General of AIPEF in a letter to Chief Minister Maharashtra has drawn his attention towards the appointment of Distribution Franchisee is not at all in the interest of Energy Sector and State. He said that statement of objects and reasons of Electricity Act 2003 envisages the franchise system only in rural areas, whereas presently the decision of Maharashtra government is to handover creamy high revenue cities to private. Distribution franchisee. .

Dubey said that the Jalgaon, Aurangabad Urban I and II, Civil Lines, Mohal and Gandhibag division Nagpur are pure urban areas and have high revenue potential. Subordinate Engineers Association had asked all engineers put their whole hearted efforts to reduce line losses. The efforts yielded results and losses came down from 29.6% in 2006-2007 to 21.98% in 208-2009. Similarly Collection efficiency has also gone up from 94.07% to 96.61%.

SEA had pointed out that infrastructural development are allowed to the distribution franchisee and the company bears the capital cost of the said development but on its own did not incline to incur an expenditure on distribution network to maintain the quality and to reduce the losses. This is not at all in the interest of power sector and state.

The letter states that AIPEF fully supports the just demands of SEA MSEB and in case the engineers are forced to proceed on token strike on February 23, then all power engineers of country shall stand with them