Karimnagar: Electricity employees stage protest against privatization of power sector

Karimnagar: Electricity department employees staged a dharna in front of the Superintendent Engineer office here on Monday, in protest against the union government’s decision to allow private players in the power sector. They demanded the Centre to withdraw its plans to introduce the Electricity Amendment Bill in the Parliament. Electricity employees, who registered their protest […]

Karimnagar: Electricity department employees staged a dharna in front of the Superintendent Engineer office here on Monday, in protest against the union government’s decision to allow private players in the power sector. They demanded the Centre to withdraw its plans to introduce the Electricity Amendment Bill in the Parliament.

Electricity employees, who registered their protest by wearing black shirts and badges, raised slogans against the union government. Leaders of various political parties including TRS district president GV Ramakrishna Rao, MIM district in-charge Syed Ghulam Mohammed Hussein, Congress party district working president Komatiredy Padmakar Reddy and others extended their support to agitating electricity employees.

---

Speaking on the occasion, the protesting employees said that presently, subsidised power was being supplied to the poor and agriculture sector. Government, which was purchasing a unit of power at Rs 6, was supplying it to the poor and agriculture sector at Rs 1.50 to Rs 2 to protect their interests.

However, there would not be any chance to supply subsidised power to the poor if the sector was handed over to private persons, who would be interested only in getting high profits. So, injustice would be done to the poor.

Employees warned of a flash strike across the country if the Central government failed to withdraw its plans to introduce an electricity amendment bill in parliament.