The Peoples’ Commission on Public Sector and Public Services (PCPSPS), a non-government organisation comprising retired senior bureaucrats, former ministers and educationists, has expressed serious concern over the “unilateral privatisation” of electricity distribution entities in union territories (UTs) .
“Chandigarh is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana and neither of the states have been consulted about the privatisation of the electricity department. We strongly object to the Centre exercising its power in a completely arbitrary and unilateral manner in blatant violation of the spirit of federalism,” PCPSPS said in press statement.
“The UT electricity department has the lowest transmission and distribution losses; it is making sizeable profits year after year and the tariff is lower than the states of Punjab and Haryana. Further, there are no serious complaints from the consumers. Therefore, there is no cause of action whatsoever for its privatisation,” PCPSPS further stated.
UT Powermen Union had gone on a three-day strike starting February 22 against power privatisation, which had led to large-scale disruption in the city.