Opposing the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2021 and moves to privatise the energy sector, a demonstration was staged in front of the head office of Hubballi Electricity Supply Company (HESCOM) in Hubballi on Tuesday.
The protest was in response to a call given by AITUC-affiliated All India Powermen’s Federation (AIPF), for All India Protest Day against the Bill terming it an effort to privatise the power sector.
Addressing the protestors, Gangadhar Badiger of ESCOM Employees Association said that already protests are being staged across the nation against the new farm laws and Electricity (Amendment) Bill. The workers, farmers and the general public are vehemently opposing the these new laws which are being implemented with the sole intention of helping the corporate sector, he said.
He mentioned that because of the united fight of the employees of the power sector, the tabling of the new Bill has been withheld by the Union government. “However, it is most likely that under pressure from corporate companies, the Union government will again try to table the Bill and get it passed. So there is a need for continued and united fight till the Bill is withdrawn,” he said.
District secretary Ramesh Hosamani said that the new Bill is aimed at handing over the entire electricity sector to private entities at one go. If the Bill is passed, then, electricity supply companies such as KPTCL, HESCOM, BESCOM, MESCOM and GESCOM will come under the control of private companies and schemes meant for the poor will automatically get cancelled.
Parvati Kaudi, Manjula Patil, Vijayalakshmi Kalburgi, Moulasab Kiremani, Sureshayya Chikkamath and others led the protest. Subsequently, a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister was submitted to the HESCOM officials.
