Don’t rush electricity amendment bill, urges PM Modi

All India Power Engineers Federation has appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi a that the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2022 which was referred to the standing committee on energy should not be rushed through in the coming monsoon session

All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union power minister RK Singh that the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2022 which was referred to the standing committee on energy should not be rushed through in the coming monsoon session starting on July 20.

The amendments being planned to the Electricity Act by the Centre would burden the poor, middle class and farmers with huge tariff increases, said AIPEF. (HT File Photo)

AIPEF chairman Shailendra Dubey said that although Lok Sabha has referred Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 to the Standing Committee on Energy but till now the standing committee has not held any discussions with power employees or electricity consumers who are the biggest stakeholders. The bill ,if enacted, will lead to a few private companies controlling most of the power distribution utilities of the country. He stated that the amendments being planned to the Electricity Act by the Centre would lead to the privatisation of the power sector and burden the poor, middle class and farmers with huge tariff increases.

The meeting demanded the withdrawal of Electricity Amendment Bill, 2022 and opposed the proposal of parallel license in electricity distribution using state discoms transmission network, affecting certain provisions of the Electricity Amendment Bill through Electricity Amendment Rules, and supported the ongoing agitation by power sector employees in some states against privatisation in state power sector, informed V K Gupta AIPEF Spokesperson. P Rathnakar Rao, secretary general said a failed model was being introduced in the power sector in the name of reforms and in the name of financial viability of discoms.