Power employees in UP threatens strike on July 22 and 23

Vinod Kumar Gupta
Wednesday, 14 July 2010
LUKHNOW: The power employees in the state have demanded cancellation of franchise system in the industrial city of Kanpur as the revenue recovery has increased by 50 percent.

The employees under the banner of Vidyut Karamchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti have threatened of going on a two-day strike on July 22 and 23 in protest of the state government move to hand over the power distribution system of the city to a private company.

It may be mentioned that on April 1 this year amidst protest and boycott of work by UP Power
Engineers and Employees UPPCL management came into a written agreement with Sangharsh
Samiti stating that Agra has been handed over on experimental basis and in future no Urban franchisee including Kanpur Electricity Supply Co. (KESCO) will be done in UP.

Shaliender Dubey convener of Samiti said in a press note that revenue recovery from Kanpur has improved. Quoting figures he said that the city in 2006-07 received 2,514 million units of energy against which revenue recovery per unit stood at Rs 1.72. This has increased to Rs 1.90 per unit in 2007-08, while in 2008-09; the rate went up to Rs 2.26. Subsequently, the revenue recovery rate in 2009-10 stood at Rs 2.63 per unit. Further Dubey claimed that power distribution system in Agra, which was handed over to a private agency earlier by the state government, has deteriorated.