The Odisha Rajya Bidyut Shramika, Karmachari, Engineers Ekata Manch(ORBSKEEM) on Monday submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the OERC Chairman UN Behera seeking withdrawal decision to sell out 51% share of the Cesu to the Tata Power Limited (TPL).
Hundreds of workers, employees and engineers staged a demonstration in front of the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) before submitting the memorandum.
In 1999, Odisha was the first State to privatise electricity distribution by selling 51% stake of Cesco (now Cesu) to the AES, an American Power Company. The AES failed to manage the affairs of as a discom company.
Besides, the AES, the Reliance in Wesco, Nesco and Southco also failed miserably in these 19 years. The OERC is now ruling these discoms by proxy.
They have now owed power purchase dues of Rs 10,000 to the Gridco.
When the State Government and the Centre have spent invested Rs 2,000 crore in the Cesu during the last 5 years, the mandate of the Tata Power to bring down losses and invest Rs 1,570 crore in five years seems to be a ridiculous proposition.
“We appeal you to immediately cancel the LOI issued to the TPL and order thorough probe to various raised by us. We urge upon the Government to take urgent steps in public and employees interest and save Cesu from disaster,” said the memorandum.
