The electricity employees and engineers of Odisha took out rallies at different parts of the State, including Bhubaneswar, with a number of demands.
The electricity engineers and employees in all States throughout India are resorting to cease work on January 8 and 9 agitating under the banner of the National Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees and Engineers (NCCOEEE).
At the call of the NCCOEEE and under the banner of Joint Forum of Odisha Electricity Employees and Engineers (JFEEE), the electricity employees and engineers of Odisha are also taking part in the stir.
They demanded to stop privatisation and franchisee system in, electricity distribution, withdraw Electricity Bill 2018, integrate all electricity utilities and form Odisha State Electricity Board
Limited , bring all employees recruited after 2004 under the ambit of old pension scheme, regularize service of all outsourced and contractual employees and engineers engaged in regular work, remove anomalies in pay revision and immediate payment of arrear pay.
At a demonstration held at PMG Square here, the leaders said in spite of complete failure of privatisation and franchisee system, there is a move to privatise the Cesu,Nesco, Wesco and Southco.
They said that if the Electricity Bill 2018 is passed in Parliament, the private companies will be given supply and tariff collections charge while the Government firm will be entrusted to construct and ,maintain network. The private companies will not have the obligationm to give supply to all consumers and will in essence choose creamy customers leaving practically rural customers.
This will lead to profit for private company and loss for Government company. While the Government will invest for infrastructure, benefit will be reaped by private companies, they added.
They informed that in proposed tariff policy , cross subsidy will be phased out leading to tariff hike for domestic consumers.
Against regular nature work, out sourced and contractual workers and engineers are being engaged at low wages, which is affecting quality of work, they alleged.