Ludhiana: Power employees protest plan to privatise UT electricity board
Union leaders criticised the decision calling it an attack on public assets” that would have detrimental effects on both employees and consumers
Power employees across Punjab organised statewide protests on Monday to oppose the Central Government’s decision to privatise the Chandigarh Electricity Board (CEB), a move that has drawn widespread opposition across Punjab.
The protest, led by the PSEB Employees Joint Forum, Electricity Employees Unity Front Punjab, and the Association of Junior Engineers, was held at the division level, aiming to prevent the Centre’s plan to hand over the management of CEB to a private company.
The union leaders strongly criticised the decision calling it an “attack on public assets” that would have detrimental effects on both employees and consumers.
Union leaders such as Raghuveer Singh, a leader from the Technical Service Union (TSU), and Gurpreet Singh Mehdoodan, divisional president of the PSEB, condemned the Centre’s handling of workers’ rights and the potential consequences of privatisation.
The unions argue that the move would harm the 550 permanent employees currently working in CEB and negatively impact the residents of Chandigarh.
According to union representatives, privatisation would lead to skyrocketing electricity prices and substandard services.
Presently, a 1-kilowatt electricity connection in Chandigarh costs ₹1,381 as a security fee, with rates ranging from ₹2.15 to ₹4.62 per unit. Under the proposed private management, security fees are set to rise to ₹13,900, with electricity rates expected to increase to between ₹5.15 and ₹9.21 per unit.
The unions warn that this could lead to the exploitation of both workers and residents, with the public paying much higher rates for what they argue would be inferior services.
Ranjit Dhillon, the state president of the Association of Junior Engineers, Punjab, voiced concerns that privatising Chandigarh’s power sector could set a dangerous precedent for other areas of the state. He also revealed that the union had sent a letter to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) on December 4, urging them to reconsider plans to assign technicians and power officials from across Punjab for the maintenance of electricity supply in Chandigarh under the privatisation scheme.
In a display of solidarity, Harpal Singh, secretary of the PSEB Employees Joint Forum, called on all unions within the electricity sector to unite and resist the privatisation agenda. He warned that any attempt to force employees to carry out duties under privatised management would lead to stronger protests against both the government and private company involved.
The unions have vowed to continue their fight, demanding immediate action to protect public resources and workers’ rights.
The privatisation of the Chandigarh Electricity Board is part of broader structural reforms in the power sector under the “Aatm Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan,” launched by the Government of India. The process gained momentum when M/s Eminent Power Company Limited emerged as the successful bidder.