Opposing the proposed privatisation of power distribution in four mega cities of UP, the power employees unions on Monday held protest meetings across the state and announced indefinite boycott of work from May 13.
The protest meetings of the power engineers and employees at Varanasi, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh, Allahabad, Bareilly, Jhansi, Agra, Aligarh, Anpara, Pipari, Obra, Harduaganj, Paricha and Panki were largely attended.
Addressing the protest meetings, the leaders of power unions said the state government was pursuing the privatisation policy to benefit private players at the cost of state exchequer and the consumers.
In the state capital, the protest meeting was held at UP Power Corporation headquarters, Shakti Bhawan. The meeting passed a resolution for indefinite work boycott from the next month.
While demanding withdrawal of the decision to privatise power distribution in four cities, the Vidhyut Karmachari Samyukt Rangharash Samiti (VKSSS) leaders warned that if the state government did not cancel the tender for appointment of technical consultant, the power corporation's engineers and employees would go on indefinite work boycott from May 13.
They alleged the decision to privatise the power sector aimed at "loot of public money".The VKSSS leaders said Meerut, Kanpur, Varanasi and Ghaziabad, where the power distribution was proposed to be privatised, had a record of less line losses and better revenue realisation than other cities of UP.
The UP Power Officers Association also held an emergency meeting in which it warned the government that if the privatisation process was not stopped immediately, the employees of the reserved categories may go on strike any time.