All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) has sought the intervention of  Prime Minister Narendra Modi for referring the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022, to the Parliamentary standing committee to ensure wider consultations on the proposed law.

After the announcement of Union Power Minister  R K Singh to place and pass Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022, on  August 8 in Parliament, AIPEF Chairman Shailendra Dubey in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sought his intervention in the matter and has appealed him that the bill be referred to the Standing Committee of Parliament for detailed discussion with all stakeholders, an AIPEF statement said.

According to the statement, the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees & Engineers (NCCOEEE) and the AIPEF have already served a notice to the Ministry of Power that as and when the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2022 is placed in Parliament, all power employees and engineers across the country shall be forced to cease the work and hold demonstrations throughout the day to register their protest.

The bill seeks to create competition in the power  distribution (retail)  segment. It proposes that a discom can use other power  distribution licensee’s network.

The bill also seeks to strengthen payment security mechanism and give more powers to regulators.

“It has become necessary to strengthen the regulatory mechanism, adjudicatory mechanism in the Act and to bring administrative reforms through improved corporate governance of distribution licensees,” states the bill.

The bill also states that”the continuing as well as new challenges of sustainability of the power sector, contract enforcement, payment security mechanism, energy transition and the need to provide choice (of multiple service providers) to consumers in order to promote competition and the like, it has become necessary to make certain amendments in the Electricity Act”.

The AIPEF said that the bill no. 187 of 2022 contains a statement of objects and reasons which has been signed by the Minister (R.K. Singh), late on August 2, 2022.