PremiumProtesting against the privatisation of power companies, unions of the three state-owned power companies in Maharashtra warned of going on a 72-hour strike from Wednesday. Maharashtra Rajya Karmachari, Adhikari, and Abhiyanta Sangharsh Samiti, which is an action committee of power company unions has called the strike.
"More than 30 unions of drivers, wiremen, engineers, and other employees have come together to thwart the attempt of privatisation in the state-owned power companies," Krushan Bhoir, general secretary of Maharashtra State Electricity Workers' Federation told news agency PTI.
The state-owned power companies include Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd (Mahavitaran), Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Co Ltd (Mahapareshan), and Maharashtra State Electricity Generation Co Ltd (Mahanirmiti).
For the last two to three weeks, the employees of these power companies are staging agitations and on Monday, around 15,000 employees protested outside the office of the collector of Thane.
"Nearly 86,000 employees, officers, and engineers of the three power companies, along with 42,000 contract employees and security guards will go on a 72-hour strike starting Wednesday to protest against privatisation," Bhoir said.
Adani Electricity Navi Mumbai Ltd, a subsidiary of Adani Transmission has applied for a parallel license of power distribution to the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC). The company wants a parallel license under the jurisdiction of Mahavitaran in the Bhandup, Mulund, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Taloja, and Uran areas.
Rejection of this parallel license request is one of the main demands of the protesting employees of the power companies. Bhoir said that the MERC should not give the subsidiary the license to make a profit in Bhandup in eastern Mumbai, Thane, and Navi Mumbai.
"There are no financial demands in this agitation, but we want these power companies owned by people of the state to survive. These should not be sold to private capitalists who intend to only make a profit," Bhoir said.
The action committee has warned of an indefinite strike from 18 January if the demands of the protesting employees are not met.
(With inputs from PTI)