On the call of the Vidyut Karmachari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti, a state-wide protest was organised against the privatisation of power distribution companies in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.

UP power employees and engineers sported black bands across the state in protest against the privatisation of power distribution companies.

Power employees in Punjab and Maharashtra also joined the protest in support of UP.

As per the decision of the action committee, the power employees did not allow the work to be affected but showed their unity by wearing black bands and pledged to fight decisively against privatisation.

Chief engineers also wore black bands.

Chairman of All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) Shailendra Dubey stated that a meeting of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE) would be held in Lucknow on December 11 (Wednesday), in which the outline of the nationwide movement against the privatisation of electricity being carried out in Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh would be decided.

He said NCCOEEE includes all the major power employees federations of the country, the Power Diploma Engineers Federation, and the All India Power Engineers Federation.

NCCOEEE is the apex body of the Federation of Electrical Employees, Diploma Engineers, and Engineers.

He added that deep resentment prevails among power employees across the country over the unilateral privatisation of Discoms in Uttar Pradesh.

In Uttar Pradesh, power employees in every district, including the capital Lucknow, expressed their anger against privatisation by wearing black bands.

From Class IV employees to chief engineers, all showed solidarity by wearing black bands. During lunch breaks and after office hours, the electricity employees raised slogans against privatisation in the office premises.

The AIPEF appealed for the immediate intervention of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to cancel what they termed the “anti-employee privatisation”.

The AIPEF said that under the leadership of the chief minister, the power employees of Uttar Pradesh have created a record by supplying the maximum electricity, up to 30,000 MW, in the country, and that the power employees of UP are determined to provide a better electricity system in the future.